


Lost In Darkness

by Yue_Twili00



Series: Sun and Moon: Change of Fate [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Changes be coming, Donald Duck (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Gen, Goofy (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Keyblade Wielder!Isa, Keyblade Wielder!Lea, Mickey Mouse (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, More Characters Along the Way - Freeform, My Headcannons, Organization XIII cameos - Freeform, Riku (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Sora (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, They all need hugs, They're all disastors, just not now, let them feel, they're all teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 76,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24008338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yue_Twili00/pseuds/Yue_Twili00
Summary: (Cross Post on FF.Net)In order to escape from Xehanort, Isa tapped into the powers of darkness, and escaped with Lea...unfortunately landing in the realm of darkness. Separated. Once reunited, they would need to rely on each other and another resident trapped in there, Aqua, to find the means to escape. But the trio would learn that not all is as it seems...(Took place in Fragmentary Passage)
Relationships: Isa & Lea & Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Isa & Lea (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Sun and Moon: Change of Fate [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731481
Comments: 17
Kudos: 39





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> There are many branching timelines for any ‘reality’. They intersect but would take shape in their own paths.
> 
> This story is but one of them. A timeline where an act to save themselves, changed the course of history…
> 
> (Canon divergent and AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The desire to escape, caused a change.
> 
> The result of that escape? Lost.
> 
> And then found.

_“Oh crap! Crap! Crap!” He could hear Lea’s panic as the two ran for their lives._

_He can_ feel _how that… **man** is just taking his time. Casually walking after them, like a cat casually tormenting its prey. He knew that it won’t be long until he grows tired and- _

_What. What can he do?!_

_Terror grips his heart as they come to a dead end. He wipes the blood away from his face. His beating heart made the wound on his face throb, reminding him of their near-death experience. But now…_

_He shared a terrified look with Lea and looked back as one. If they go out into the hall, it’s not doubtful they would meet the man with that strange weapon. It was only by luck that they managed to escape the lab. Where- no, don’t think that Isa. It won’t help._

_But what can they do? How can they escape…?_

_He felt Lea slip his hand into his, and Isa unconsciously squeezes it. He isn’t sure if it could do much but…they have to…to escape. How? How could they? He looked at Lea, who was looking out in the hallway with wide eyes._

_Isa lowered his head, mind swirling. What can he do? How could he save them both? What? What what what-?_

**Want power?**

_Huh?_

**I can give you it…for a price.**

_Isa looked back out. He could hear the man’s footsteps. He hesitated._

‘What price?’ _he asked, wary._

**Power always comes with a price. It’s a matter if you let it consume you.**

_The footsteps are closer. He felt Lea getting closer to him. Nearly hiding behind him but not. Isa clenched his hand. He shouldn’t trust the voice, and yet…_

‘So long as it could save us, I don’t care. What…what do I have to do?’

**All right. Just a taste. Use it to ‘open’ the way out of there.**

_He felt something. It’s small, but…it feels like he had ate his ice cream too fast or had too much of it. It’s cold. So cold. But…whatever it is, hopefully…yet what did that voice mean by ‘open’ the way out of here?_

_He had no time to think about it. The man is drawing closer. He had never felt so scared in his life. But…_

_He looked at Lea…then curled his free hand into a fist._

‘Whatever I got…get…get us out of here. Someplace that’s NOT here. Anywhere.’ _He had thought._

_A strange sound is heard behind them, with Lea yelping. Isa looked back and saw a strange…oval opening behind them. Did…did he call that?_

_“What the…?” Lea began-_

_“You!” The two looked back to see the man. The man narrowed his golden eyes at them. “How did…?!” He seems clearly agitated._

_Isa noticed it. An opening…_

_He grabbed Lea in a tight hug, and he all but dove into the portal with him. He heard the man yell out in anger, but the opening closed…_

…

He groaned as his mind began to become aware he regained consciousness. His fingers twitched before he carefully pushed himself up. The ground felt…odd to him. What is it? He can’t exactly…describe it. He opened his eyes…

And they took in the area. The area in question is…dark. Not dark enough to be pitch black but it’s dark all the same. There’s surprisingly some bit of light to allow him to see though.

He pushed himself up to his knees, looking around a bit more. Where is this place? How did he…?

Memories of what happened earlier flashed into his mind. He touched his face, drawing his hand back to see small bits of blood on his fingertips. He looked at the ground, seeing a very small puddle. It must have scabbed over while he was out. He then noticed something, looking around for the red-haired boy.

“…Lea?” He called out, staggering to his feet. When he didn’t hear a response, Isa looked around. “Lea?” He called out, a bit louder this time. He cupped his hands around his mouth. “LEA!!”

The place didn’t even echo. His friend doesn’t seem to be around.

Isa lowered his hands, a feeling of dread settling in his chest. _‘Did we…get separated?’_ He asked himself. He was sure that they both went into the portal together. Did they…get separated after going through it? Where is Lea now? Ise feels…at a loss now. While he does make his own choices, sometimes he goes along with a few things Lea would do. Becoming Ansem’s apprentices was Isa’s idea, while saving that girl they befriended was Lea’s…they both agreed that becoming an apprentice would be faster to find out what happened to her. He had little idea of how disastrous things had gotten. They were only there for about a few days until Ansem suddenly disappeared – the older apprentices claimed he had gone mad and abandoned them, but somehow Isa felt they were lying – and a couple of days later…

Isa took in a shuddering breath through his nose, trying to suppress the horrific image of seeing Even’s and Ienzo’s bodies on the ground, fading out. They had been in the manufactory when the monsters – different from the ones that appeared a year ago – appeared and gave him that scar on his face. It was only through sheer luck they got out of there with their lives…and came upon THAT.

It looked like Xehanort had gone mad…yet, something told Isa that the man knew exactly what he was doing when he attacked the two.

Isa put a hand on his chest, exhaling. _‘If not for that power…we might have…’_ He furrowed his brows before shaking his head. _‘I can’t think that now. I need to find Lea. I’m sure he’s around here. Somewhere.’_

He looked up. Looks like there’s no place else to go than the path before him. He took a breath through his nose and exhaled through the mouth. He walked forward.

He kept an eye out for his friends bright red hair and eye-catching clothes. They weren’t apprentices for long, so they weren’t wearing those lab coats. It should be easy to spot, right? Yet as he walks on, and on, he saw neither of those.

How long had he been walking? How much time had passed? Those questions aren’t important right now though. He had to find Lea. Once he does…well, they’ll figure it out from there.

His feet started to hurt when he noticed he was in a new area. The ground turned to dirt, with plants around him. From flowers, grass, to trees. Walking a bit further…he saw a castle in the distance. But not the castle Ansem himself once resided in. He looked around in a stupor. He looked up, seeing the sky. Is it even the sky? Where’s the moon? Are those really stars?

Where did he and Lea (hopefully, or, not hopefully) land in? His head jerked to the bushes when he heard them shook. He stepped back…before he hurried away, not wanting to see what made the noise. He isn’t sure if he wanted to know.

Going along the path, he found himself near a town. He’s only disturbed by how deathly quiet it is. Now that he thought about it…he didn’t hear birds or even insects on his way there. “Where are the animals? Or the people?” He muttered to himself. He scampers up a slope, getting to the top- and froze.

It…looked like the town was bending into itself, but parts of it is frozen in ice. In fact, it looked as if time had frozen this moment. He pushed himself up, staring in shock- and yelped as the ground suddenly gave away. He landed on the ground unceremoniously, pretty certain he scraped himself. He laid there for a moment, before he pushed himself up. He groaned, with his eye closed. What are the odds that the ground would give away?

He looked to the side, seeing a path leading to the town. Well, he’s closer to the town at least. Pushing himself off of the ground, he moved to dust himself off before sighing. Not like he could get these cleaned at this moment. Hopefully, he’ll-

A chill crawled up his spine. This is the same chill when…

He looked around, shocked to find small, black monsters appearing. They resembled ants, and yet…they’re very similar to the ones that appeared with the others with those emblems. Xehanort had called them ‘Heartless’. What are the Heartless-? He made a startled look and quickly dodged an attack at him. He nearly fell to the ground but regained his footing quickly before taking off into the town.

 _‘What are the Heartless doing here?!’_ He questioned himself. _‘Lea…is Lea even safe with those things around?!’_

He has to find Lea. Fast.

His lungs burned as he ran. He doesn’t know how long he could outrun them. He didn’t dare look behind him. A bell tolling took him off guard, snapping his head to a clock tower connected to the castle as it struck midnight. Maybe…if he can get to the castle…

He nearly ran into a wall, but he continued his momentum by pushing himself off it to propel him forward, running towards it. And stumbled as he nearly got a face full of a purple flying… _thing_ that came out of nowhere. “What the…?” He breathed out- before he felt several small claws grabbing him by the jacket. “Wait! Stop!” he struggled out of them, swatting them with his hands to get them away. He got several scratches as a result, on not just his arms but also his face. He attempted to cover himself from the flock of monster birds, swatting them away- and he lost his balance. “WHOA!” He tumbled down the stairs and landed harshly on his back. Groaning, he pushed himself up…

His blood ran cold as he saw many of the Heartless approaching him. All he could do is scoot himself backwards, breathing heavily from not just his run earlier, but he’s also on the verge of hyperventilating. He looked back, seeing the opening. His eyes shifted back…and back to the opening. He goes for it.

He didn’t get far, however. He barely managed to get a few feet, until he felt something slash his leg. He screamed out in pain as he fell. He looked down at his leg, seeing the pants having a hole, and a long nasty slash on it. He looked back up at the monsters as they approached their prey. All Isa could do is try to scoot away from them, even with his leg a mess. His thoughts ran faster than he could process.

Hoping. Wishing. For anyone- anything to save him. Despair began to fill him as they edge closer, and closer to him. He breathed out haggardly. He closed his eyes, praying that it would be painless. _‘Lea…I’m sorry…’_

The end didn’t come for him, however. Instead…he heard slashing sounds, and something being destroyed. He waited a moment, before opening an eye. And stared in surprise at the person before him, her back (from the figure he could see) back to him. Short blue hair, a black top with the upper back exposed (with pink colored straps on her), black shorts and leggings (with cloths around her waist), armored boots and bell sleeves with armor on them.

She turned to him, with deep blue eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked him.

He was about to answer- but the weapon in her right hand caught his attention. It looks like a simple skeleton key, and yet…the shape…

His mind flashed to the weapon Xehanort had.

Panic filled his mind as he tried to scoot away from her.

“W-Wait! It’s okay!” She tried to assure him. She looked surprised at his reaction. “I’m not gonna hurt you!”

“L-Likely story!” Isa retorted, pushing himself to sit up with a distrustful look. “Why’d you even have that?”

“Have what?” She asked, confused.

He pointed at the weapon. “THAT! One person had one of those and tried to kill me and my friend.”

The woman’s eyes were wide, before looking at her weapon. “Someone…with a Keyblade attacked you?”

Keyblade? Weird name.

He mentally shook his head, not wanting to be distracted. He pushed himself up. “Listen lady, I’d rather-” his leg gave out, and he fell back to the ground. He bit back a curse with a hand over his wound. _‘Dammit…’_

He noticed the blue haired woman cautiously approach, and he eyed her, wary. She seemed startled by his hostility. “…Please,” she began, a hand over her chest. “You’re hurt. I could help you.”

Isa raised an eyebrow at her. “How?”

The woman hesitated…before the weapon in her hand disappeared. Carefully, as if he’s a wild animal, she approached, pulling out something. “Here.” It’s a small bottle with green liquid inside of it, with it having a small blue star in it. She held it out to him. “I’d…rather use magic, but…this would help.”

Magic? She talks as if it’s a thing. But…considering what he saw and been through recently…yet, he couldn’t find himself to trust her just yet. But he’d rather not look a gift horse in the mouth. He stared at her, reaching out and taking the small bottle. He quickly drew back, eyeing her with suspicion. When she didn’t do anything, yet kept her distance…he eyes the bottle, looking it over. He found the opening. Tugging on it…it opens with a pop. Does he drink it, or…?

He huffs through his nose before he brings it to his mouth. He made a face at the taste. It’s so bitter…but he forces himself to drink it. May as well get it over with. Once it’s empty, he made a full body shudder. He looked at the woman, opening his mouth-and noticed that the wound on his leg glowed green. He watched as the glow made the wound shrink…before it looked as if it isn’t there at all.

Isa stared dumbly at it.

“You can never go wrong with a Potion,” the woman said, with Isa looking back at her sharply.

His face scrunches a bit, grunting. As much as he’s hesitant to trust her…she did help him. “Thanks,” he mumbled, tossing the bottle away. He moves to push himself up- and saw the woman offering her hand to help him up. He sent a look at her, before getting up on his own. He tested his weight onto his leg. It didn’t hurt as much, but his pants are ruined now. He can complain about ruined cloths later. He’s alive. That’s what counts. But…

“Why are you here?” The woman asked him. “How…did you even get down here?”

Isa raised an eyebrow at her. “Down here?” He parroted.

“Oh right. You…wouldn’t know,” she muttered. He frowned, before crossing his arms. So, she knows where they’re at? He wants answers. But…being rude may not do him any favors.

“…Well, where are we then, miss?” Isa asked finally after a moment of deliberation.

The woman looked at him. “Well…first, shouldn’t we know our names? My name is Aqua.”

Aqua, huh? “It’s Isa,” he answered.

Aqua nodded- but the two heard a sound, the two jerking to the source. There was nothing. But… “…We should probably get a move on. It wouldn’t be safe here,” she said to him.

He eyed her. She’s right. He would get attacked by those monsters again, if left alone. He may have to stick around her just to survive. He sighed. “Fine. But, I need to look for someone too. He’s around my age, with bright red hair and green eyes.”

Aqua looked at him in surprise. “There was someone else with you?” He gave a curt nod. “I see…” She gave a sad look. “I didn’t see anyone like that so far.”

He tried not to look (and feel) disappointed. Lea is either in this…horrible place somewhere, with those monsters about, or somewhere else. Isa isn’t sure if he wanted his friend to stay around in this place or is just…goofing off someplace else.

“Well, I better start looking,” he muttered. “I have no place else to go anyway.” He took a deep breath and looked at Aqua. “All right. Let’s go. Tell me about what this place is, and why are YOU here.”

“I’ll…explain the best I can,” she answered. “…It’s a long story.”

He can imagine. “Well, just tell me on what this place is, then,” he decided.

He can hear the full story later, when he can.

-

Aqua is surprised to find someone else in the Realm of Darkness with her…rather, the fact that there’s a duo. She would have most likely had missed Isa, and unwittedly leave him to his fate, if she didn’t hear him scream. It was just after she had defeated the pillar of the black monsters. She had repaired the bridge by ‘reversing’ the clock’s flow, to get to the Castle of Dreams. She managed to save him, but…

She will admit, it hurts to see someone younger than herself not trust her. She was more surprised that he knows what a Keyblade is and had a bad experience with one. The only ‘bad’ Keyblade users she knew of so far are…well, one is ‘gone’ but the other disappeared. The first real person she had seen, and he’s distrustful of her.

Not that she could blame him. This place is just…awful. She had been down here for a long time, it…she wanted so badly to ask him on what’s happening outside of the realm, but…

The best she could do, as they’re making their way to the castle, is explain to him the Realm of Darkness, where the Dwellers of Darkness resided in. And answering what questions she could.

“So…this was…a world?” Isa asked as they walked the pathway to the castle.

Aqua nodded. “That’s right.”

“What’s this world doing down here in the Dark Realm?”

“I don’t know,” Aqua shook her head. “I’m just…surprised.”

“Huh…even you don’t know.” He’s rather…blunt. She figured it’s a part of his personality.

And she hates that he’s right. She had no idea on why the world is in the dark realm, or what’s even happening. If Terra is safe, why isn’t he doing anything to stop this? Is he just…?

She wanted to ask Isa on why he’s in the dark realm, with his friend apparently, but…

“I…don’t have all the answers,” she admitted, “But…whatever is happening, I have to find a way out of here.”

“Might be difficult.”

“I know. I had been looking for one since I got here.”

“Wait, seriously?” He sounded surprised.

“I didn’t have time to smell the roses,” she answered dryly. “Unfortunate.”

“I doubt this would have any roses. Or flowers much,” he answered back just as dryly.

This guy certainly is different from Ventus, even though he looked to be around Ven’s age. But…his sarcasm is apparent. They got near the castle, when Isa asked her, with hesitance, “How…long have you been down here?”

Aqua had to think…before she lowered her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “A long time, probably.” She looked up. She could get up this easily, but…she looked at Isa. “Can you climb this?”

Isa, with his sea green eyes having an ‘x’ shaped scar on his face, looked up at it, studying it. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, frowning at it. He approached the cliff wall, feeling it out. There are a few things jutting out here and there, but they don’t seem to make proper footholds. He narrowed his eyes further.

Aqua’s face softened. Maybe he can’t after all. “…Well, if you can’t, then-” Aqua began to offer, until Isa reached his hands out…and proceeded to climb the wall. Aqua blinked as the boy carefully felt around the rocks and such jutting out, making sure they could hold before he used them to climb. His left foot is placed over a rock- but that came loose and lost his footing. With an oath, (and Aqua gasping in shock) he quickly got his grip onto his position, staying there. Aqua held her breath…and Isa soon exhaled and resumed his slow ascend. “Really, you don’t have to,” she called out to him.

“I’m fine!” He answered. “I don’t need your help. I can do this on my own.”

Still…Aqua watched anxiously as Isa slowly climbs up the wall. She gasped when she saw him slip a couple of times, but still held on. After a while, he managed to reach the top. She watched as he wiggled his way up to the ground above. He peered back down at her with a satisfied smirk. The boy really is something. Very stubborn.

She looked over the cliff face after he drew back, seeing what she could use. She decided to do a high jump…and then a second jump using a burst of magic to get to a higher point. She quickly grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up. They’re near the castle entrance now, the foyer just ahead. She saw Isa going on ahead, looking around. She looked up at the clock tower, feeling her face falling. She recalled the memories she felt as she was dealing with the gears to rewound ‘time’ on the clock. _‘Not even memories…are safe in the darkness,’_ she thought glumly. _‘What I wouldn’t give to really turn back time…’_ She looked up at the fake sky above her. _‘To look at the stars one more time…with my best friends…’_

She noticed that she was reaching out for them, the fake stars. With a soft sigh, she lowered her arm. “I’m doing it again…” she muttered.

“Aqua,” she did a take at the familiar voice and looked up in shock. Approaching her is Terra, coming down the stairs.

She was in shock. “It can’t be…” she muttered before asking out loud. “What are you doing here? You should be in the realm of light.” Why is he here? She thought- “Oh no! Did you not make it out?” The whole time, he hadn’t said a thing, with a smile on his face. “Don’t tell me. Has the realm of light…?” Is Isa being here a sign? She didn’t ask that question.

But the brunette didn’t say anything. Desperate, she approached him. “Why won’t you say anything to me?” She asked, anguished. She began to reach out-

“Hey!” She jumped at the voice. She looked up, seeing Isa looking down at her from the top of the staircase. She could make out the look he was making, questioning her actions. “Who are you talking to? I could hear you from up here.”

What? She looked down- and her eyes went wide in surprise. Terra is gone. She let out a breath, stepping back a bit. _‘An illusion…?’_ She thought.

Now that she thought about it…she only met Terra here, in this very castle when she first arrived on the world. She had been going around in the lanes between, searching for Ventus. After a long while, she came upon the Castle of Dreams, running into Terra. She felt assured that he hadn’t yet lost his way but…

Sadness grips her heart, with her hand over it. Why hadn’t she kept more faith in him? Some friend she is…

“Hey.” She blinked and looked to her side. When did Isa get to her side? She saw a faint concern on his face. “…You’re…not going crazy on me, are you?”

Aqua let out a soft bitter laugh. “I…might be. I thought…I saw a friend,” she muttered.

It was silent. No words of judgment for her doing that. After a long while, Isa spoke, “Well…we should get going. I’d rather not stay here.” She looked up – catching a look on his face before he turned around – and heads up the stairs again. She watched him go, before lowering her head.

 _‘So…was what I saw a memory among these shadows?’_ She asked herself. _‘Here to try to tell me not to lose heart?’_ She looked back at the town, before going up the stairs. _‘The world keeps our thoughts alive. But where did the people who lived here go, once their world was taken away?’_

…At the very least, they’re not here, in this hellish place. They haven’t fallen into darkness. Perhaps…they’re at a safe place now? Hmm…she’ll take what solace she could from that. For now, though…

She looked up at Isa, as he went up the stairs, staring down at her. She hurried her pace.

If Isa and his friend are here…something had to have happened. That pillar of darkness she saw escaping into that portal of light had to be a sign. Of what, she isn’t sure. All the more reason to get to the realm of light again. But, the fact that Isa had acted like this to her…

Makes her feel…alone.

She isn’t sure if that hurts more than the fact she had been alone for a long while now.

What had happened? She wanted to ask, but…she would need to earn his trust. Somehow.


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea landed where he's not: safe.
> 
> (See the DBZ Abridged reference there?)

When Lea had first woke up here, he was startled to find himself alone. He had spent a while calling out to Isa, shouting his name until his voice became hoarse. It would have been smart to stay in one place but…he did not want to be around an unfamiliar place for long. So, he went to search for Isa.

He was walking along the path, looking around. He feels…unnerved about the place. It is so silent, save for that ‘wind’ he heard. When they got into the castle, THIS is not what he had in mind. Nor of finding that girl and then her disappearing after a while, their visits to try to find her before they decided to become Ansem’s apprentices. It was not even a few days that Ansem was suddenly gone, and then…

Lea shook his head. He held his own hand, as if to comfort himself somehow, as he walked. _‘Isa, where are you?’_ He asked himself. Once he finds him, they will…they’ll figure something out. Right? He’ll run into Isa soon, right?

He keeps telling himself that he’ll be okay, that he’ll find Isa and that everything would be okay. It’s this hope that had him press on.

He can find Isa, and- he noticed movement and looked up. He gasped as he saw Isa walking away. Relief filled him, smiling as he called out, “Isa!” He hurried after him. “Hey! Wait up!”

He hadn’t noticed Isa didn’t respond to him, or even stopped. He just kept walking, disappearing around the corner. “Isa, hey-” He began- and nearly lost his footing as he suddenly found himself at the edge of a cliff. His eyes were wide, waving his arms frantically to not lose his balance. He soon leaned his body back and his other foot found the ground. Once it does, he quickly backed away, staring at it in shock. He panted to calm his frantically beating heart.

He looked around, but Isa is nowhere to be seen. What…was that? A ghost?

Isa couldn’t be dead, is he? It can’t be…

He refused to believe it. But he hadn’t seen Isa around him. What if…

Lea physically shook his head, to rid himself of those thoughts. All the more reason to look for Isa. If to confirm if he’s alive or not. No, not ‘if’, Lea. Isa’s alive. He can’t be dead.

He took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through the mouth. He clenched his hands, determined. _‘I’ll find you Isa,’_ he promised himself. _‘I’ll pull you out if I have to.’_

After a moment, he heads off.

-

He had no idea how long he had been walking. His feet ache, he felt tired…

And he’s no closer to finding Isa.

At first, it was like he had lousy memory. He had ‘seen’ Isa walking off somewhere, and like an idiot he was, he went after him. And nearly got himself killed. And he fell for it a few times, like he didn’t learn. At all.

But overtime, he did learn. As much as it pained him to not chase after ‘Isa’ – or a specter of him – he knew deep down that Isa wouldn’t purposely lead him to danger like that. It was hard to resist at first, but…slowly it got easier. And he isn’t sure if it’s good or not.

He wanted so bad to chase after him when he saw him, to check on him. So badly to hold him in his arms, to know that they wouldn’t separate again. He had no idea how long he had been walking, or how long they had been separated. He’s lost, scared…the more he saw ‘Isa’, the more that hope flickers away. But he still held onto that shred of hope that he’s still alive.

It could be this place playing tricks on him, having him see someone who isn’t there. Why? To lead him further astray; or to…?

Is it telling him something? That Isa is…?

_“He left you behind to save himself.”_

Lea was startled out of his thoughts, tearing his eyes from the ground as he looked around warily. “…Who’s there?” He asked warily.

Nothing. No answer.

Another trick of this place?

Unnerved, but not wanting to let the place get to him, he continued on. Keeping his eyes out for anything weird. He hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary (so far). But…something told him to be on the lookout. He walked for a while until he found himself in another area. A forest. He felt unnerved by the lack of life in the place, carefully walking on the stone path. Not to mention that the forest looked…legit terrifying in the darkness. It made it seem like there are monsters around. And that’s REALLY unnerving. Swallowing, he walked on, feeling his heart pounding. He felt tense all over.

“Nothing’s…nothing’s gonna jump out and get you, Lea,” he told himself, his arms around himself. “You’re just…hearing voices. It only made sense. That you’ve been alone for who knows how long. It’s not the sign of you going crazy or anything.” He gave a nervous chuckle. He hopes that he hadn’t lost his mind.

He heard something snap, jerking his head to the source. There’s nothing but darkness beyond the trees. “…Hello?” He called out warily.

“Lea, is that you?” Lea perked up at the voice.

“…Isa?” Hope formed in his chest. “Is…is that you?”

“There you are,” Isa’s voice is heard. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“You were?” Lea asked. “So was I.”

“Where are you?”

“Here. I’m right here.” He’s too exhausted to even raise his voice some more.

“I can’t see you. Come to me.” Lea was about to respond and go to him, but…paused. Something isn’t right. “Lea?” He hesitated at the voice. What if it IS Isa? He wanted to look, and see with his own eyes, but…

Lea stepped back. “…How…how do I know if…you’re the real Isa? And not some…ghost?” He asked. The tone of Isa’s voice didn’t even sound right. A…a lack of concern. He knows Isa had his pride to him, but he does show concern. He lowered his arms. “Are you even Isa at all?” He questioned the voice.

No answer. Yet Lea had this chill up his spine. Something bad is going to happen and- wait. He looked around in surprise. Did it get darker somehow?

A loud crack made him jump. A tree toppled over in his vision. Lea slowly backed away from the sounds coming from the direction he heard Isa’s voice came from. Lea felt his heart pounding frantically, backing up slowly on instinct. Soon enough, he saw gleaming yellow eyes peering at him from the darkness of the forest. His blood ran cold as black hands came out from the darkness, planting them onto the trees near it.

“Lea…” It spoke with Isa’s voice. But what it said next made it distorted, _“Come here.”_ One of the ‘hands’ reached for him.

Lea gasped and fell over- and the hand shot over him, hitting the tree just behind him. It broke upon impact, sending splinters and bark flying. It occurred to him, in the horrifying wake of realization, that he could have died right there if it hadn’t been for that root behind him. He had gotten very, _very_ lucky.

He quickly got back onto his feet and took off into the forest. He knew it isn’t smart, but he had to get away from that… _thing_ somehow. His feet pounded the dirt under him, hearing the trees moving and breaking behind him. He jumped over some roots, ducking under tree branches, and pushed them away. Were the trees also actively trying to _catch_ hi-?

He choked as one of the branches caught him by the scarf around his neck. He fell onto his butt and felt himself being dragged back. He looked behind to see it gaining on him. Panic nearly took over his rationality, struggling against it…until he realized the solution was simple. He looked down at the cloth that had him caught and began to untie his bandana and freed himself. As soon as it left his neck, he landed unceremoniously onto the ground, but pushed himself back up, not caring about the scraps he just received. And took off, leaving the yellow and brown bandana behind. A piece of cloth isn’t worth fighting back for if it’ll just get him killed.

Lea ran and ran, lungs burning as he ran for his life. But as he ran, he was sure he had seen that tree before a few minutes ago. Is he going in circles? Is it making him lost? He stopped in place, his feet pacing as he looked around. If he can’t outrun it, he could hide. But hide where? Where could he hide-?

There!

He ran over to the log. It looked big enough to fit him. He checked it over and to his relief, found a hole big enough he could squeeze through. He dared not to look back, quickly crawling into the hollow log. Once he’s sure he’s all the way in, he allowed himself a moment to regain his breath, panting. He felt the moss under him, but what’s worse than dirt-? Actually, never mind. Anything could be worse.

A snap is heard. Lea covered his mouth, to prevent himself from making a sound. He stayed quiet, his nerves on end as he heard the…thing move about. As if finding him. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, breathing through his nose harshly. He tried not to make a sound. He breathed in deeply when it looked like it had gotten close to his hiding place. Cold sweat broke out on his body. He could feel himself trembling. He dared not breath in fear of being exposed…

…Yet, the monster soon went away. Lea waited a few moments, making sure it’s gone…before he allowed himself to breath. He exhaled and slumped a bit, relieved. _‘That was close,’_ he thought. He was sure that he was- the log shook. “Hm?”

He then felt his stomach drop as his hiding place was lifted. “Whoa, whoa…!” He tried to maintain balance (could you actually do that lying down?) before he rolled onto the ‘roof’ of the log. Near a large hold. Not enough for something large to get through, but big enough for him to look out…

…And see a glowing, yellow eye peering at him. Lea’s heart skipped a beat. And then he felt something…icy cold on his leg, making him suck in his breath through his teeth- and felt himself practically pulled out of the log. “Ah!” He yelped out, before he found himself hanging upside down, being eyed by the monster. It looked like a ghostly specter, the body made up mostly of gas, yet the ‘arms’ are solid enough to hold him by the leg. As well as the log, which it then tossed aside. It crashed onto the ground somewhere, but Lea’s eyes were now focused on the monster’s face.

Oh. He didn’t get away after all.

He heard a sound and looked, well, ‘up’ considering. A pool of darkness manifested on the ground below him. Lea’s eyes went wide before looking at the monster. “Wait, what are you-?” He didn’t get to finish his question until it let him go. He screamed as he fell…into that pool manifested below him.

The next thing he knew, he was in…a different place. He laid there for a while, his upper back sore since he landed harshly on the ground. It didn’t feel like he broke anything, so that’s good. He could move at least. Slowly, he pushed himself up, to look around a bit better in the dim light. It looked like a mine. There were gems and jewels about, a rail, minecarts, even some tools in crates. Lea stared at them for a while…before he pushed himself up and checked it. He dug around a bit, shifting them until he held up a pickaxe. He could barely lift it…but, better than nothing at least. He’s armed now.

Lea looked around before he walked ahead. _‘A pickaxe could help…but, I may need more firepower,’_ he thought. _‘This is…a mine, right? Would there be dynamite? How would I even light one?’_

If all else fails, he could just…swing this around and hope for the best. It’s a bad idea, but so far it’s been nothing but a plethora of bad ideas.

The place is dimly lit too. He could barely see anything. If only he could have some light…

Wait. Light.

Lea thought back to when he found a book of spells when he was spending some time with Ienzo, days before Ansem disappeared. He had gotten interested in fire magic, but the stuff on there was too complex for him to understand. He mostly skimmed it before he gave up. Ienzo dryly told him he shouldn’t expect to learn it so easily, and if he had half the mind to understand it, then he wouldn’t struggle with it. His competitive nature kicked in and he stupidly made a challenge that he could be able to pull it off in a few days, easily. Ienzo rolled his eyes and told him ‘good luck’.

He had only managed to figure out the basics of it until…THAT happened.

Now though…could he actually do it?

He stopped in place, palming his forehead. _‘Okay, Lea, think. Think,’_ he told himself. _‘What did that book say?’_ Of all times he could have used it…it wasn’t like he knew something like THIS could happen! If he could just remember how it works…

Though, a part of him wondered if he could even do it. That book is complex, almost as if magic does indeed exist. Doesn’t that stuff exist in, like, fairytales or fantasy related stuff? Why would it even have a book like that?

…On the other hand, with the stuff that happened to him recently, from strange monsters, Xehanort using a strange key-shaped sword, that dark opening that suddenly appeared…and now this place. Logic’s just about out the window at this point. He may as well give it a try anyway.

He looked around for anything before leaving the pickaxe alone for a moment. “Okay, how did it go again?” He muttered to himself, tapping his temple. Does he do…something with his hands? He looked at the palms of his hands, before tilting them slightly to make it look like they’re about to hold something between them. The boy soon closed his eyes, concentrating.

 _‘Okay, so…fire is…what gives warmth, but it could also destroy. It…destroys to make way for life.’_ Lea is trying VERY hard to remember how it is. _‘Um. Don’t know about the ‘mana’ stuff, but…if it’s within living things…you gotta…draw it out? No, you…need to draw it in first…and help it take form…’_

Could he really do it though? What if he couldn’t-? No, focus Lea. Focus on making…a small flame. He could start there. He breathed slowly through his nose, concentrating. Trying to…reach for something. He didn’t know what, but he stood there, concentrating.

Yet as seconds tick by, he felt himself grow anxious. It’s only been seconds, but nothing was happening. Did he do something wrong? What was he missing? Why didn’t he study that book more? If he had known- well, of course he wouldn’t have known. A scenario like this had never popped up. If only Isa were here, he’d-

_“Is there any point in doing this?”_

Lea’s eyes snapped open, looking around. “Who’s there?” he demanded. This feels familiar.

Nothing.

Lea gritted his teeth, deciding to drop trying to use magic, to focus on what he CAN do. He picks up the pickaxe again, walking forward as he drags it with him.

At least, since his eyes are more adjusted to the dark, he could see a few things. Mostly stone, but there are a few gems. There’s a lot of them. A gem mine? He may not be into jewels and stuff, but they are pretty nice. He soon found a minecart full of them. Curiosity filled him, prompting him to approach it and taking one of them. He looked over at the red gem in his hand.

“Were they mining this?” Lea asked himself. He looked around. “Where did the miners go?”

The tools left behind probably meant that they had been doing some work when…something happened. But what? He isn’t sure if he wanted to know, really. He sighed and looked back at the gem- he blinked. “Wait…could it even have my reflection?” He muttered, staring at it dumbly.

Yet, his ‘reflection’ has green eyes. His are a shade of green blue, but it had been leaning towards green recently, but- there’s something…off about the eyes.

And then, to his shock, it spoke! _“You will die in here, and no one would even know.”_

Lea gasped, dropping the gem, and jumping away. “What the-?!”

The gem shattered on impact with the ground. As if it were just glass. Lea stared down at it in shock, his mind unable to comprehend what he had just seen. Why did his reflection speak to him? Is he going mad? More importantly…is that the voice he had been hearing? His…own voice? Why would it say stuff like that though!?

 _“There’s no one who could save you,”_ the voice spoke up again. Lea looked around for it, _“Not that they’d want to.”_

“What are you talking about?” Lea demanded – craziness be damned, he won’t let this mess with him!

_“This is your fault, you know. Your curiosity would have been the end of you.”_

Lea shifted his eyes everywhere, yet there is no source. The voice sounds as if it’s…all around him. “Where are you?” Lea questioned it.

_“This is why Isa would have left you. He had enough trouble and left you to die.”_

Lea gritted his teeth. “Shut up!” He barked. “Isa would never!”

 _“If given the reason, he would have ditched you. He probably already did.”_ Lea’s hands clenched around the pickaxe, growling. _“Or maybe…he’s already gone. Dead because of your actions.”_

“Tch!” His form shook with rage. “Shut up…!” He growled.

_“It’s the truth.”_

“I SAID SHUT UP!!” Lea screamed, striking the cart with all of his might. It tipped over, the gems spilling out of it. The reflection looked back at him off of the gems, laughing at him. Lea didn’t know what happened next, only that he was just screaming, slamming the pickaxe onto the gems, shattering them into any pieces. Unleashing the bent-up anger, pain, and sadness onto them. Then took it out onto the minecart, hearing nothing but metal hitting metal, blindly attacking it.

Soon enough, he ran out of steam. He panted heavily; the cloud lifted from his mind slowly. His arms are slack, his hands sore as he let the pickaxe fall from his grasp. One he regained enough clarity, he looked at his damage. Several pieces of gems lay around him, shattered into rather small pieces. He looked at the minecart. It’s dented in a lot of places, and it’s missing its wheel. Is there a hole in it?

Oh. He got…he got carried away back there. He was so sick of that voice taunting him, he’d…

Lea looked back at his weapon, before picking it up again. _‘I better keep going,’_ he told himself, looking around. _‘I can’t stay here.’_

He spotted an opening ahead. He would need to find an exit soon. He’s getting sick of this cave. He sighed. He feels so exhausted…but, he had to keep going. Lea began to make his way to the opening.

A scrap of metal stopped him in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder. And having rocks around its body, with the minecart around the torso, it was the monster that dropped him in the cave. Lea’s stomach dropped, feeling his eyes going wide in horror.

His body reacted for him, running into the opening. He used his hand to navigate his way in the dark tunnel he found himself in, rather than running blindly in the dark. The tunnel he’s in shook, and he nearly lost his balance a few times. But he kept going regardless. It was another shake, a stronger one, that had him lose his footing. The pickaxe was still in his hand as he hits the ground. He pushed himself up and looked up. Wait, it’s still dark. What is he looking for? Oh yeah, falling rocks and stuff. He pushed himself up, gripping the pickaxe and staggered away.

He spotted faint light ahead. An exit? He almost bolted to it, but he shifted his eyes to the ceiling again. He looked at the ground. He got onto his knees and blindly felt around for a rock. His fingers brushed against one. His hand soon curled around it, gripping it in his hand. Standing up, he rears his arm back and chucks it outside. He heard it clatter but waited a few beats.

Then the place shook again, with him leaning against the wall for support. “Oh crap…” he muttered. “This…might not go well.”

Okay, if he goes out there, he will most likely die…but if he stays in here, he’ll also die. This…isn’t good. Not good. It’s bad, very bad. Very, VERY bad.

 _‘C’mon, Lea! Think! Think!’_ Lea mentally pleaded, palming his forehead. What can he DO?! He balled his hand into a fist and lightly taps it onto his head. “Think, think, think…!” He muttered, anguished. “What…what can I do…!?”

…

Well, at this point, he had nothing left to lose. Except his life but that’s beside the point! _‘C’mon, Lea. You can do this! You have to do this!’_ he thought as he held up his hands again. He has to pull something in. Mana, right? How could he do that? He needs to at least do a fireball or something. Just gotta- the place shook again. He thought he heard something crash near him. He looked in the direction it came from, and back at the opening. He shook his head, groaning and scratching his head vigorously. “To hell with this!” He exclaimed. He hefts the pickaxe over his shoulder and hurried to the opening.

He got through, noticing he’s in a bigger area. Like a network of tunnels set off to other paths. He looked around. Which one does he go down in?

The ground shaking is the only warning he got. He turned around quickly- and got knocked to the ground, landing harshly on his back. The pickaxe clattered beside him. Grunting, he opened one of his eyes, to see the monster. “Oh great,” He muttered, pushing himself up. He staggered to his feet, nearly falling over in trying to balance himself. His body hunches over, heaving in breathes. _‘Nowhere to run, and even if I could…it would get me,’_ he thought. _‘There’s one last thing I could do but…I don’t know if I could take this down.’_

…He has to try. He has to- he has to survive this. He has to live.

Lea bends his knees and picks up the pickaxe. “All right…let’s go,” he muttered, straightening himself with his weapon in his hands.

_-_

“Well, this place isn’t…spooky,” Isa remarked as they entered the forest. This is the first time he had spoken up since they left the Castle of Dreams behind.

Aqua grunted as she looked around. The forest does seem…unsightly. The glowing yellow ‘eyes’ in the trees can trick you into thinking they’re monsters before you realized they’re just trees.

Yet, this place feels familiar somehow.

She looked at Isa. He looked exhausted. He kept a strong front, but even she could see that he’s forcing himself to stay on his feet. Isa was…a normal civilian. Aqua is surprised by how long he had lasted, with no protection. While she had no room to talk, yes, but…it’s different.

Isa’s heart must have been very strong to last as long as he did. But he can’t keep going like this.

The boy looked at her. “What?” He asked, eyes narrowed. Oh, looks like she’s been caught. Hm, may as well try to convince him.

So, she looked at him in the eyes. “Shouldn’t you rest?” Aqua asked him. “You’ve been walking for a while now.”

Isa shook his head. “I’ll rest, until I find Lea,” he walked forward – and is that the name of his friend? “He’s still out there. Somewhere.”

Aqua walked after him. “But wouldn’t he want you to rest first?”

“I don’t know if he’s okay or not,” Isa told her. “And the place is crawling with those… _things._ I’m not sure…” he shook his head. “That’s why I gotta find him.”

Aqua stared at him with a soft expression. “You don’t…have to force yourself to remain strong,” she gently told him.

“I have to,” Isa flatly responded. “If you lasted as long as you did, so could I.”

Aqua sighed, shaking her head. “You really ARE stubborn…” she muttered.

“Problem?” Isa queried with a dry tone.

“No, just…you remind me of someone,” Aqua muttered, looking down. Thinking about Terra…she wondered if he’s all right. Maybe Mickey had found him and helped him. Maybe…

The woman mentally sighed. Thinking about all of these won’t answer her thoughts. The only way to know is to either get out into the Realm of Light, or ask Isa. But even after all the time walking, he refused to talk with her. She had attempted, yes, but he just gave short answers or look at her with distrust. Why did it hurt the way it did? Had she become THAT lonely? Tch. Of course. She had been down here so long…the only thing keeping her going was her friends. She promised Ven that she would wake him up again when she returned. How long had he been waiting? Did he wake up during the time she had been away? Did he and Mickey come together to take care of what was happening?

…Why hadn’t anyone come down here to her rescue? Did they not know where she is? Or…did they-?

A sharp gasp caught her attention, snapping her head up and looked to Isa. He stopped in his tracks. “…Isa?” Aqua asked him. He was staring at something, his eyes wide. She looked to what he was staring at.

…And hanging from a tree branch is a yellow scarf, with brown strips and checker designs on it.

She jumped when Isa suddenly bolted to it, prompting her to jog after him. He slowed himself to a stop, and snags it from the branch, looking over at it. “This is…!” Isa breathed out. He looked around. “Lea!” He hollered. He cups his hands around his mouth. “LEA!!”

Aqua held her breath, being silent. Perhaps they would hear him call out, or he would be nearby, safe and sound…

Yet, only Isa’s voice can be heard, echoing.

She looked at Isa’s face. He was trying to keep a straight face, but she could see his lips quivering and eyes trembling. Looking down at his hand, she could see it clenching the scarf. Her arms twitched a bit…but, her motherly instincts took over, gently holding the boy in her arms. His body became stiff in them.

“It’s okay,” she said to him gently. “If it belongs to your friend…he’s hopefully not that far. We can still find him.”

Isa let out a shaky breath. Finally, he asked meekly, “How…can you be sure…?”

Aqua drew away, with her hands on his shoulders. “I…don’t know your friend as well as you do,” she admits. “But, I have a feeling…he may had been looking for you as well. And wouldn’t let himself be taken so easily.” She smiled at him gently. “So long as you believe in your connection to him…we can find him. His heart could be as strong as yours. Plus…” she looked out to the forest. “I think I had an idea, of why the Dwellers of Darkness didn’t attack you until I founded you. These areas…a stronger one probably took root. If they act like animals, then they know better than to take that one’s ‘prey’. It…could be the same for Lea.”

“…But that would mean this ‘stronger’ Heartless would be after him,” Isa pointed out. Aqua looked at him.

“Heartless? Is that what they’re called?” Aqua asked him.

“Uh…yeah. A…a guy I know called them that,” Isa answered.

“I see…in that case, we’ll need to move-” Aqua began- before an explosion made them jump. They looked to the source, seeing smoke. “What…?” An explosion doesn’t just…happen randomly, does it? It’s far off, too.

Isa made another gasp. “That’s probably where Lea is!” He exclaimed. “C’mon!”

Aqua did a take and quickly stopped him by grabbing him by the arm. “Wait!”

“You can’t stop me from helping him!” Isa said with a look.

“I know,” she admitted…but lowers her hand. “But, we need to be quick. I have an idea, but…I need you to trust me.” Their gazes are locked to each other for a while, with Isa staring at her. Weighing his options.

Finally, he sighed. “Okay, fine. I trust you, for now.”

For now, but it’s better than nothing, really.

Aqua turned her back to him and crouched. “Get on.”

“Uh…”

Aqua looked at him over her shoulder. “Just trust me.”

“O…kay? This is weird,” Isa muttered as he got onto her back. She lifts with her legs and called Master’s Defender into her hand. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Just watch,” Aqua responded before she took off- and jumped. She felt Isa hold onto her tightly with a yelp, landing on a branch and pushed off higher. Doing a DoubleFlight, she saw the smoke in the distance. Eyes narrowing, she fired a Blizzaga and did an Air Dash- and used Flowmotion to ‘slide’ on the ice she had created.

“Wh-Whoa!” Isa yelped out. The hold on her tightened a little bit.

“Don’t let go,” she told him. Before she adds, “But don’t choke me.”

“Easier said than done!” He exclaimed. When the ‘slide’ ends, she merely made another and jumped. She has several ether bottles to last her, but…

Aqua only hopes they get there in time.

-

Lea…isn’t having a good time.

Sure, he’s quick on his feet, but the pickaxe was cumbersome. At some point, he had to ditch it to avoid being crushed. After, he mostly had to improvise to avoid being crushed, while also figuring out how to deal with the monster.

He had to learn its patterns, as well as slowly figuring out its weakness. The limbs are covered in rocks, yet the main body is covered by the minecart for some reason. If something could break the rocks, is it using it to…protect that part? Is the main body the weakness? If it is, how could he even affect it? He couldn’t get close enough, with it flailing its arms like that.

Hiding behind a cover, he ran through what he learned over his head. Okay. Rock limbs aren’t a go. The body protected by the minecart is probably the weakness but isn’t easy to get close to. It could…apparently possess things and make it a part of its body? That’s what it did with the trees, didn’t it? He figured those out, but he isn’t any close to dealing with it.

Gah, why doesn’t this place have bombs?!

He can’t just use rocks. If only he had a long-range weapon or something. If only he didn’t leave his frisbees behind, but…would they even do anything?

Lea felt something – a chilling feeling of something coming at him – and ducked down, avoiding a punch that wouldn’t end well for him…and jumped onto the rock, holding onto for dear life as it rears back. Gulping, he felt his grip slipping and began to climb.

…he never thought this could come in handy for this. A distance relative of his had him learn how to climb things like this and trained him. He hadn’t seen him in a long while but…looks like he still remembered how to do THIS part at least. But it won’t be long until it catches on.

He got onto the ‘shoulder’ and pulled himself up. He noticed something jutting out of the ‘back’ of the thing. It looks like a part of the minecart.

…And he noticed that the back is exposed. The minecart only covered the front!

He found the other weakness. But it most likely knew that as well, and that’s why it had these limbs. To keep attackers away from the back or keep them at a distance. With this observation, he shifted his eyes a bit before finding a slab of crystal jutting out of the rock limb. He grabs it and begins to pull it with all his might. It takes a few tugs, and using his foot, he manages to pry it out. He fumbled with it, nearly losing his balance but remarkably he found his footing. He had to be quick. It would notice him soon. He looked over at the distance between himself and the back. Could he make it?

Well, he has to try. He tensed his legs…and goes for it. He managed to grab onto the edges of the minecraft and holding on tight. He looked at the body, then at the crystal. _‘Don’t know if this will work, but…eff it!’_ he thought before he brings up the crystal- and stabs it through the back.

A horrible screech came from it. Lea looked surprised. That actually worked? He noticed the limbs moving and drew back a bit when they tried to reach behind its back. Crap, it knows he’s on its back. He moved his body this way and that, to avoid getting hit by the limbs. He then looked behind them. Is the wall getting closer-? His eyes went wide. He’s going to get crushed! He looked at the body, then at the ground that’s at a good height. So, either get crushed, or not survive the drop – a worst case scenario – or somehow survive but have broken legs.

The wall is getting closer. He looked at the leg. Well, just dropping is a dumb idea. He got as low as he possibly could on the ‘body’ and swung his body a few times to get himself the right momentum…before he swung forward and released his grip. He had his arms spread out- and quickly grabbed the leg. And heard a crash behind him. He scrambled as quick as he could to get back on the ground, tumbling as he did so.

He panted, before looking back. It thrashed about, the limbs flying and hitting the walls. The ceiling even had parts of it falling around them. Lea scrambled to get out of the way of the debris that are falling, and- he had never ran so fast before in his life. Other than them trying to escape Xehanort but that’s different! He had many close calls of being crushed, and if it weren’t for the dim lighting from the (now) open ceiling, he would have been crushed ten times over. He only managed to save himself by darting to and fro, avoiding them.

Soon enough, it was just the smaller debris that are falling. Lea could scarcely believe it. Did he manage to-?

He felt that familiar icy coldness around his leg. He only had a moment to register it before he fell to the ground with a yelp. Lea looked over his shoulder to see the long limb of the monster had got him. He felt himself being dragged. Gasping, he quickly latched onto a large rock (well, as much as he could, really). He felt his body being lifted off the ground and felt the strain of being pulled. He grunted from the feel of it. He can feel his fingers slipping. Groaning, he tried to pull himself to the rock, but the pull is strong. He looked at his leg, that was grabbed by it. He kicked at it, to make it let go of his leg. It is not letting go, but the grip is slipping to his sneaker and sock. He suddenly remembered his own grip on the rock, noticing he was slipping. He felt a bit of pain from his fingers. He dug into that rock so hard, the tips of his fingers are starting to bleed. With a growl, he raised his leg. “Let…” He hits the ‘hand’ as hard as he could, shouting, “GO!!”

He stomps it a couple more times, shouting with each stomp, “LET! GO! OF! MY! LEG!”

That final kick had him lose a shoe and a sock- but at the same time, his grip had failed, yelping as he landed on the ground ungracefully. He groaned, pushing himself up. He looked at his hands, grimacing at the spots of blood coming out from ruined skin. He looked back, to see it rising from the rocks without its protective shell.

Lea sneered at it. Oh, he is just sick of this thing now! He did not even think of his next action. Barely registering heat in his hand, he instinctively held it up. “Burn,” he commanded. A large fireball materialized within his hand- and was sent speeding off. It scorched the earth under it as it homes in on its target. It made direct impact on its face, with it screeching.

Lea stared out with wide eyes, stunned. “Did I just…?” He looked at his hand in shock. “Did I really?” He noticed his shoe and sock. He quickly snatched them and ran off to what he hopes is an exit. Once he got close, he stuffs his sock into his pocket and put his foot into the shoe – he will deal with it later. He then turned around and he held up his hand at it. _‘Okay, I didn’t even think back there. Only that I want it to be gone!’_ he thought- and soon enough, another fire ball appeared. He took careful aim, using his other arm to steady it, and fired (no pun intended) the spell at it. Even though it hits its target, he fired more fire balls at it, each of them hitting their target, making it stagger back further and further away. Lea began to feel REALLY tired now after using them. _‘Just…one more,’_ he told himself, trying to make another fireball in his hand, _‘Just one more…and I’ll get the hell out.’_

Just…one last big one. That would be enough. Just enough. Grunting, his hand was shaky as he formed the last one in his hand. Even trying to keep it steady with his other arm isn’t doing much to help, with his whole body shaking. Soon it was formed, before he fired it. The recoil of the spell knocked him off his feet, landing on his ass. The fireball shot wildly off course- and exploded. However, it had an unintended effect. The rocks on the ceiling, which had taken enough abuse from the monster’s flailing of its arms, cracked before they began to fall.

“…Well…that…that could work,” He muttered as he stared up dumbly. He heard a crack above him, making his eyes widen. _RUN!,_ his mind shouted at him. His body obeyed, with him scrambling to his feet and bolting into the hole. Once he’s through, he only took a few steps before he tripped.

He heard crashing noises behind him, but his body is spent. Exhaustion caught up to him, his body no longer obeying him. His eyes slipped close and he knew nothing.

…

_“Hey Isa!” Lea began, looking at his friend excitedly. “Let’s try getting into the castle again.”_

_“Wha? What for?” Isa asked him, raising an eyebrow. “We tried last year, and we failed. Several times.”_

_“I know, but…there were those rumors,” Lea said, “how people are hearing stuff around the castle for a while? We should check out what’s going on in there.”_

_“I don’t know,” Isa said skeptically. “Screams aren’t…exactly a good thing at times.”_

_Lea couldn’t argue with that. He hummed. “Well then, how about…one peek? And that’s it. After that, we’ll leave it alone. Sound good?”_

_Isa raised his eyebrow at that…before he sighed. “All right. One peek. But it’ll mean that we’ll have to actually get in there.”_

_“Yes!” Lea cheered, pumping his fist. “All right, let’s make a plan!”_

_…_

_The two of them had just gotten out of the castle. Minds mulling over on what they had seen…and meet._

_Lea hesitated…before he looked at Isa. “Hey, Isa-”_

_“Lea,” Isa began, cutting him off. He looked at Lea. “…We’ll…have to find some way to get back in there again. It’s the least we could do, to comfort that girl.”_

_“Seriously?” Lea asked him, incredulous. “What about the other cells we saw?”_

_Isa looked down. “I know. Something’s…_ happening _in the castle. To be honest, I don’t want to go back but…” Lea noted it, before looking away. He had to agree with Isa there; they can’t just…leave her alone like that. All alone in that dark cell._

_His green eyes looked back at Isa. “Well…then we’ll have to make our infiltrations count then,” he said, with Isa noticing. He smirked, hands on his hips. “Like you were going to say: we can’t exactly leave her alone like that, could we?”_

_Isa looked surprised before he smiled. “Right. Let’s make it count.”_

_…_

_“…Where do you think she’s gone?” Lea asked him, sitting at their spot. They had gone back yet again, trying in vain to look for the girl that had disappeared a while back._

_Isa sighed. “I don’t know. You don’t think she was…moved somewhere else, do you?”_

_“If she was, then…where?” The two of them sat there in silence. For the past few weeks, they manage to sneak into the castle, if only to visit the girl they had considered their friend. Lea thought it was sad that she was unable to recall her name, or even her friends. It was the only solace they could give her, them being powerless children. But…a few days ago, when they decided to somehow spring her out of there, she was just…gone. Even after a few other visits, there was no sign of her. Even in the other cells. Lea glanced at Isa. “What…do we do now? We don’t know where she is.”_

_Isa furrowed his eyebrows, frowning._

_Lea glanced away. He had never felt so…powerless before. They were going to free her, but…they were too late. What if she was…gone? Like Ventus? They hadn’t seen Ventus in over a year. Two friends in a row who just suddenly disappeared. What if…they never see them again? Lea bit his lip, as anxiety kicked in. People don’t just…disappear like that, do they? So suddenly, right?_

_“Lea,” Isa spoke up, with Lea looking at him. Isa had an apprehensive look on his face. “I…have an idea. But…you may not like it.”_

_“Well, I don’t know if I’ll like it or not if I don’t know what it is,” Lea remarked. “So…what is it?”_

_Isa looked at him. “We need to know where she went, right? The only way to know that…is to become Ansem’s apprentices.”_

_Lea’s eyes went wide at that. Did…he heard Isa right? “…You serious? Be apprentices?”_

_Isa shrugged. “He doesn’t have to know the reason. But, it’s the faster method,” he said. “Once we find out where she went…well, saving her IS still a part of our agenda, right?”_

_Lea hummed, thinking. True. Saving her had been his idea. Lea can’t stand leaving someone like her alone. He was surprised Isa agreed with the idea, despite the two barely having any idea of how to do that. They both felt they had to be the ones to save her. Naïve as it sounds. But…someone had to do something._

_“It is, but…” Lea looked at him in concern. “What if we can’t find her?” Isa looked at him. Lea waved his hands. “I’m not saying I’m giving up searching for her, but…it’s just that, what if Ansem doesn’t know where she is? We hardly know what’s even going on in there. Or why there are those people and those experiments.”_

_Isa grunted. “True. But…this may be our only chance to find out on what happened to her.” He clenched his hands. “We can’t let this chance slip by.”_

_Lea thought about it. He has a point. This may be their only chance to know what happened to her. To find answers…they would need to seek it. His green eyes shifted to Isa and grinned. “Yeah. You know what? Why not? Let’s do it.”_

_Isa looked at him in surprise before smiling. “Yeah. Let’s.” The two pumped their fists._

…

Lea grunted before opening his eyes. It’s dark. Very dark. He felt the ground under him. His tips throbbed with pain a bit, reminding him of what happened a while ago. Or was it… moments ago? He couldn’t tell.

Grunting, it took some effort to push himself up from the ground, to lean against the wall. He looked around tiredly. It looked like…both sides are blocked off. No wonder it was dark. He didn’t know if he’ll be safe or not…

…Oh, who was he kidding? This whole place is dangerous. Is there really a ‘safe’ place? To think…they could have been home, nice, and safe right now. Where they wouldn’t have to fear for their lives or worry about anyone else’s problems. He took that life for granted. He thought they wouldn’t have anything to lose.

He looked up at the ceiling. Maybe the voice was right. They’re in this mess…because it was his fault. If…he hadn’t suggested going back to the castle…hadn’t met that girl…

His eyes sting with tears welling up. He tried to choke back a sob…all he could do is curl up on himself, lying on his side, quietly sobbing. Sobbing for the life they had unwittedly left behind. Sobbing for his friends, who are most likely gone. Sobbing for Isa, who is probably dead. Because of him.

Lea laid there for a good while, crying until he could cry no more. Not sure on what else to do now. He’s just…so tired… Maybe if he closes his eyes for a good while…

So…sleepy…

…

 _‘Huh?’_ His eyes fluttered open. He sat up and felt his chest. It…feels so warm. But why? This…warm feeling. It feels like… _‘Isa…?’_ And then:

“Lea!” Lea’s head shot to the direction he heard the voice. “Lea! Are you there?!”

“…Isa…?” Lea breathed out. He stood up and ran to the source. “Isa! Isa is that you?!” He has his hands on the wall, as if Isa is literally behind it.

“Yeah! It’s me!” Isa responded. “Hold on a second!” He heard some clattering on the other side (is Isa trying to dig him out?) before he soon heard muffling, with Lea looking over at it. Is Isa…talking to someone? Then he heard Isa shouting, “Lea! Get away from the wall!”

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me!” Isa said.

Lea looked over at it. “…Okay! I’ll back away.” He moved back a bit, until he’s against the other side. “All right! I’m away from the wall!” He called out.

At first, nothing. But then he jumped when he heard a sudden explosion coming from outside. The area shook a little, and Lea was worried that the place would collapse. And then suddenly, the rock wall bursts open. Lea’s arms flew up in a feeble attempt to protect himself. But it was nothing but dust and small pebbles.

“…That was…overkill,” Isa’s voice is heard, with Lea lowering his arms and opening his eye a crack. And his arms went slack, eyes wide in shock at someone who walked in. There was Isa. The wound on his face is healed but left the ‘x’ shaped scar. His pants leg is torn, there’s dirt all over him…but, he had a smile on his face. Like…he’s relieved to have found him.

“But, at least it’s the quickest way,” Lea heard a woman respond, but he was too busy staring at Isa to acknowledge her.

Isa…he’s…

Lea’s legs gave out, with Isa surprised. “Hey, are you-?” Isa began.

“I…I don’t…” Lea began, at a loss. His eyes are blurring. “How…can I tell that…you’re real?” He didn’t care that his voice cracked. He truly didn’t know if this is the real Isa or not. After seeing several other illusions of him, and the monster mimicking his voice. He doesn’t know if it’s a very cruel trick, getting his hopes up before sending him plummeting to despair. He wanted to be so relieved to have finally found him, but… “That…you’re the real Isa, and not-?”

Isa had approached him, bent to his level- and then yanked his cheeks. “Ow! Hey!” Lea yelped out.

“Would an illusion do THAT?” Isa asked him cheekily. His expression softened. “But…it’s the only thing I could think of. You’re a mess.”

Lea just…stared at him in shock. That is…a very Isa thing to do. And the fingers on his cheek feels so real… Carefully, he reached out, as if he would just…disappear under his hands. He placed his hands gently on Isa’s shoulders. They feel solid. They feel… _warm._ Warm… _alive._

Something in him broke. His vision blurred. He took in a deep breath through his teeth, before he lurched forward, hugging Isa. “ISA!” He cried out, burying his face into his jacket. He had never felt so…so relieved. He’s real, warm within his arms. He didn’t care that his tears are soaking Isa’s jacket. He didn’t care if Isa would tease him about being a crybaby again. He didn’t care if they’re in danger right now. All he cared about was that his friend is safe, and alive. “Isa!” He sniffed.

“Lea-” Isa began, hands on his shoulders, but Lea had to tell him.

“I’m sorry!” Before Isa could reply, Lea repeated, “I’m sorry!” He sniffed. “We’re in this mess because of me! This…this is my fault!” He gasped. “I’m so, so sorry!”

He continued to cry. He felt Isa’s hands gently taking him by the shoulders. He didn’t resist when Isa pushed him away, staring at his face. Isa had a sad smile on his face. “Lea…you couldn’t have known this could happen. It wasn’t your fault we’re in the dark realm. Or that we got attacked by a nutcase.”

Lea sniffed. “Still…” Then Lea’s eyes went wide in surprise when Isa embraced him.

“…I looked for you, you know?” Isa spoke. “When we found that tacky scarf of yours, I thought the worst. I’m…” he felt Isa squeeze him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Lea’s eyes welled up with tears again. He embraced Isa back. “Me too,” he admitted, his breath shaky.

The two took that moment to hold each other.

They found each other again.

They’re reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to note, Lea and Isa's relationship is left ambiguous for a reason. You could see them as friends or as...well, you know. But they're teens. Eventually they'll be like all teens are, questioning their sexuality.
> 
> Just...not right now.


	3. Some Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea attempts to get to know Aqua. Aqua's unhealed emotional scars become apparent. Almost everyone's got issues.

The three of them soon left the entrance of the mines, with Isa carrying Lea over his shoulder (even though Lea was given a Potion, it wouldn’t cure fatigue), helping him walk as Aqua lead the way. Aqua glanced at the two boys.

Ever since they were reunited, they absolutely refused to leave each other’s side. Aqua had watched as they had (tearfully on Lea’s part) reunited, filling her heart with warmth of how strong of a bond they had with each other.

When they arrived to where the explosion came from, they found the entrance to the cave blocked off. A cave in had occurred as a result of that explosion. Isa had been frantically trying to look for a way inside. Aqua was uncertain of what to do to comfort the boy. They had come so close, and yet…

She wasn’t sure if it was pity, or perhaps a part of her hoped that Lea is alive still, she suggested to Isa to try to connect to him. When he stared at her in confusion, she explained to Isa that if he had a strong bond with Lea, and if their hearts are strong, they could feel the connection.

She didn’t know what to expect when Isa decided to try her suggestion…but she was surprised that she could feel his heart radiate with power, taken off guard when she felt it connect with another just beyond the blocked entrance. To her further surprise, she heard another boy calling out to Isa in response to Isa’s voice. Isa began to dig his way through, before she gave a different idea. She used her Keyblade to make an opening, obliterating the rocks completely before they could do actual damage. Both boys had been through a lot, but Lea? He went through more. The way he had asked Isa if he were real, not daring to hope and yet wanting to…how many illusions did he see of his friend before now? Not only that, he may had been attacked and chased by a stronger Heartless. That did prove her theory of there being ‘stronger’ Heartless that made the Realm of Darkness their home; if there were smaller ones, they would have gone after Lea and left him in a worse state. And the mini breakdown he had…he had kept a strong will, seemingly fragile, up until the reunion.

And she could still feel that strength. In fact, if she didn’t know better, it might have grown stronger since reuniting with Isa.

Lea’s green eyes shifted to her. “What?”

“Uh, sorry,” Aqua apologized, looking forward again. She quirked her lips a bit. “…So, you must be Lea, right?”

“Yeah,” Lea responded.

“Isa had been looking for you. He was really worried,” she said.

“Heh. Really?” Lea asked. “Didn’t think you’d care.”

“Well, what would you have done without me, huh?” Isa asked him.

“Beats me. Better than being monster bait,” Lea responded dryly. Aqua’s glanced at them. Is this how boys interact with each other? “Anyway…I’m beat. That…uh, ghost thing wouldn’t leave me alone…”

“I can image,” Isa said, his voice soft. “…You look like a complete mess.”

“Gee, thanks.” The two chuckled. Aqua quirked a small, sad smile.

A small moment of levity for them, she supposes. For the three of them.

Soon enough, they walked through the area, and come upon a small cottage. And Aqua is struck by how familiar it looks. In fact, the area they went by, the ‘forest’…now this. Something in the back of her mind is telling her that these places shouldn’t be here.

“Is…that a house?” Lea asked.

“Looks like it,” Isa responded as Aqua looked around…and noticing a glass case, surrounded with flowers.

Aqua silently gasped. _‘The Dwarf Woodlands?’_ She asked herself in shock. What was Snow White’s world doing here? This is the second world she had visited while looking for Terra in the first part of her journey…and it’s also the second world they entered in the Realm of Darkness. Yet why was this world and the Castle of Dreams in the darkness?

“Hey.” Aqua snapped out of her thoughts to look at Isa. “Think we could stay here for a little while? We’ve been walking for a while. And Lea isn’t exactly light.”

“Wha?” Lea gave an indignant look at him. “Are you calling me fat?”

“With how many of those ice cream bars you’ve eaten, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Isa responded dryly.

“You ate a lot too,” Lea retorted with a huffy look. He poked Isa’s side. “You should be as fat as I am.”

“That’s it, I’m dropping you,” Isa said simply.

Lea held his grip. “I’m taking you down with me.”

“Whatever will I do?” Isa asked with a slight smirk. Lea gave a smirk back at him.

Aqua blinked a this. Is this normal? “Um…”

“What?” The boys asked her.

Aqua considered it…before shaking her head. “Never mind. Though I guess we could stay here and rest,” she said, looking at the cottage. A light from the small lantern shines near the door. “I should warn you: the inside won’t be what you’d expect.”

“Lady, we’ve been chased by monsters and fell into a ‘dark realm’,” Lea pointed out. “I think we shouldn’t be surprised by what we’d see.”

Aqua hummed. “Good point.” She went to the door. She had her Keyblade out, just in case…and opened the door. She poked her head inside, manifesting a small sphere of light to look around the room. It’s mostly bare, of people. The furniture is still there, looking remotely unchanged. No glowing yellow eyes of a Heartless or anything. She doesn’t even sense them. She looked to the boys. “It’s safe for now. C’mon.” She leaves the door open for them.

The two of them cautiously eyed her as Isa walked through the door. Aqua watched them go in concern. _‘So, it wasn’t just Isa who’s wary,’_ she thought.

What exactly happened before they fell down here? She sighed softly, before walking in behind them, closing the door.

She left the two to look around the area, Aqua lighting the fireplace with a simple wave of her Keyblade. She also lit a candle nearby, taking the handle. “I’ll go upstairs,” she told them. “Stay near the fire.” They looked at her, before Isa took them to it. After seeing Isa gently set Lea down, Aqua went up the stairs into the bedroom.

Seven small beds, which could be mistaken for children’s beds, they were fit for a dwarf. Aqua looked around a bit before she went over to the nearest ones. Placing the candle down, she folded one of them and grabbed some pillows.

When she went back down with them, she noted the boys leaning against each other. Getting closer, she noted that they had fallen asleep. She gave a soft smile. _‘I can’t blame them. They must have been so exhausted…’_ She thought. After she sets the blanket and pillows down for the moment, along with the candle, she gently sets the boys to the ground, propping their heads up with the pillows and covered them with the blanket. She blew out the candle and sat near them. She looked out to the door. _‘They deserve it at least.’_

She curled her knees to her chest, arms over them. Staring at the door. She silently sat there, hearing Lea’s soft snores. She looked at the boys, then at the door.

It’s…at least nice to hear other people, even if they’re sleeping. She had no idea how much she missed that. She would have to do what she can to protect them, until they find a way out. Somehow. She’s curious of what their story is, but…not now. Not while they’re wary of her.

It'll take time. She really, really wishes to talk to them, to ask them on what was happening. But...she'll have to be realistic - it won't be happening any time soon. She wishes she knows how to ease them...

...Hm. When was the last time she felt…tired? She had been walking for a long while…

She looked at the Master’s Defender in her hand. Standing up, she sticks it into the ground near the boys. _‘Please watch over us,’_ she asked her Master’s Keyblade. Her hand left the pommel…and it feels as if there’s some sort of…protection over them. This could…keep them safe, while they rest.

Aqua sat back down, curling her arms over her knees. She gave a glance at the boys, then at the door. She feels her eyes slowly drift to a close…

_Aqua’s eyes opened in surprise. She found herself at a familiar place. She looked around. Is this…their home? The Land of Departure? How…?_

_She felt someone behind her. She turned around. Standing at a distance, is Ven and Terra, smiling at her. She looked shocked before smiling. They’re all right! They’re safe! She felt her mouth moving, saying their names, and tried to approach- but stopped._

_Their faces turned into sad expressions. They turned around and walked off._

_She called out their names, but she couldn’t hear her voice. They didn’t even hear her. The place they’re heading to turns dark, and darker. She pleaded with them to stop. Terra’s hair is white, while Ven is completely gone. Aqua is crying out to them. Her hand desperately reaching out for them._

_Don’t! Don’t leave me! Please!_

_She took a step- but the ground quaked. And she fell._

_And fell. And fell. And fell. And fell even further, her arm uselessly reaching out as the darkness consumes…everything-_

Aqua jumped with a gasp. She panted, calming her heart. She looked around. The area is dimly lit. She looked to the light source. The fire is dying down. She looked to her side, seeing the boys of blue and red hair sleeping by her. She looked up to the black Keyblade, a memento of her master. She sighed sadly, slumping. _‘I’m still here…’_ she thought. _‘This is…no dream…’_

She curled her arms around her legs, hugging them close to her.

There was movement near her, and she snapped her head up-

It was only Lea, who looked startled. They stared. Lea held his hands up. “I…did not mean to startle you,” he whispered.

Aqua felt her cheeks warming up. “Oh. Heh. Sorry…” she mumbled, looking away. “Just…on edge.”

“Oh. Right.” Lea chuckled sheepishly. There was movement, and footsteps lightly stepping on wood. She noted Lea standing near her and sat down. “So…” he looked at the blanket covering Isa and the pillows, then at her. “Did you put those there on us?” Aqua nodded. “Oh. Uh…thanks. I guess.”

“Sure,” Aqua responded softly. The two sat there in silence. Aqua looked at him. “Why are you up? Was it…a nightmare?”

“Well…not sure what to call it,” Lea muttered. He looked at her. “What about you? Uh…nightmare?”

Aqua looked away. “Yeah…”

Silence, again.

“…Um…” She looked at Lea again, who scratched his cheek. “…Sorry, if we got on the wrong foot. Back there. I…didn’t thank you for helping Isa and I reunite.”

“Oh. It’s no trouble,” Aqua shook her head modestly.

“Well, I gotta say it anyway,” Lea insisted. “Because Isa won’t – his pride won’t let him. So…thanks.”

Aqua blinked before smiling softly. “You’re welcome.”

Lea’s legs crossed each other. “So…I didn’t get your name. You know mine, but…it’s Lea.” He tapped his temple. “Got it memorized?”

Aqua gave a small laugh. “Yeah. My name is Aqua.”

“Aqua, huh?” Lea muttered. He shifted his eyes a bit. “…So…uh…” he looked at her. “I know it’s not in my place or anything but…why are you in this horrible place?” Aqua stared at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to ask her that. “Sorry, it’s just…since we’re kind of stuck together at the moment, shouldn’t we get to know each other a bit more?”

Hm. He honestly has a point. There’s not a lot she knows about the two boys. And they don’t know anything about her, other than her having a Keyblade. She only knows the two of them as friends, but that’s it. Though… She glanced at Isa, then at him. “Would your friend be okay with it?”

“Give him time to come around,” Lea answered. “Trust me, he’s a hard nut to crack…but, I got through to him. And we’re friends.” He then grinned, chuckling.

Aqua couldn’t help but smile back at him. There’s something about him that’s just…likeable. Hm. Maybe it would be worth to get to know him a bit better. “Well, all right. How about you tell me a bit about yourself? I’ll tell you about myself after. Deal?”

Lea hummed at that, thinking. Aqua waited patiently for him to think about it. She glanced at Isa, who’s snoozing away. At the ‘x’ scar on his face. And the fact he knew what the monsters are called. What had happened? She glanced back to Lea, who’s scratching his cheek. “…Well, okay,” he said. “But, not much I’m afraid.” He had a sheepish smile.

Aqua shrugged. “Only what you’re comfortable with,” she said.

Lea had a small smile. “Okay.”

Aqua listened as Lea told her of a bit of his life. A pair of normal kids who are spending their summer vacation. He talked about mostly of their lives, how they do errands to help out some people whenever they can. (Though, a part of her felt something a little off about it. She didn't know why though.) She was surprised, though, to know that the two came from Radiant Garden. So, she cut him off.

“Wait. Radiant Garden?” Aqua asked him, with Lea surprised. “As in…the Capital of Light, Radiant Garden?”

Lea blinked at her. “You…know of it?”

Aqua nodded. “Yes. I visited it once. It really is a beautiful place.” She then amended, “Well, the last time I saw it anyway.”

Lea scratched his head. “Well, it’s still nice and all, the last Isa and I saw it before we…came down here.” He hummed. “…So why were you there anyway?”

Aqua noticed it. “Well…” she trailed off, thinking about the last time two times she visited. The first time, it was the start of her and her friends drifting apart, with Terra’s trust in her strained…and she felt she may had unwittedly done the same with Ven, even though she just wanted him to be safe, as well as her first encounter with Vanitas. And the second, and last, time was where she got sent down here in the first place. She wanted to help free Terra from…whatever is taking over him. (Why did he have Xehanort’s Keyblade though?) As they were falling into darkness, she chose to sacrifice herself to send her Keyblade and armor to take him back to the Realm of Light. It’s something she chose for herself, and yet…

“Hey!” Aqua did a take and looked at Lea (registering a hand on her shoulder), seeing his concerned face. “You okay? I called you a couple of times.”

Aqua blinked owlishly. “Oh.” She looked away. “Sorry. I was…lost in my thoughts.”

“Oh. I guess I shouldn’t ask that question then,” Lea muttered.

Aqua looked back at him. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “It’s…complicated.”

Lea grunted. “…Well, other than the monsters that appeared a year ago, and then suddenly disappeared, Isa and I met a kid named Ventus, and-”

Aqua looked at him in surprise. “Wait. You met Ven?”

“You know him?” Lea asked back in surprise.

“Of course,” Aqua nodded. “He and I are friends.”

“Then…you know what happened to him?” Lea asked her, his legs moving to try to lean in a bit.

Aqua…didn’t know how to answer that. She looked away. “He’s…” Still waiting for her at the castle, where she left him. If a year had passed, and Lea had asked her that…that means Ven’s heart didn’t return yet…

The room is getting stuffy. She stood up. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I need some fresh air.” She heads towards the door. “Watch over your friend a bit, okay?”

“But…” Lea didn’t say anything else as she opens the door and silently leaves the cottage.

Once outside, she took in a deep breath and sighed. “What am I doing…?” she muttered, clasping her arm. Whether she’s asking herself of why she just left the room, left her Keyblade behind…she doesn’t know right now.

~~(Why does it suddenly feel hard to talk about now?)~~

-

Lea stared at the door for a little while, lowering his hand. _‘…Something’s clearly bugging her,’_ he thought. The blue haired woman was…well, Lea’s first impression of her, other than helping Isa find him, was that she seems…so serious. Why, he doesn’t know. He barely knows her.

He glanced at the key-shaped sword sticking out of the ground near them. The pole is long and black, with a stylized ‘E’ as the tooth. The guard is square shaped and white, with copper poles in it.

He got up and pulls it out. _‘It looks…really different from the other one Xehanort has,’_ he thought, looking over at it. If he didn’t know any better, the toy sword Ventus got looks similar to them.

“Guess you didn’t get any luck, huh?” Lea jumped when he heard Isa’s voice. He looked at his friend as he pushed himself up.

Lea stared at him. “…How long have you been up?” He asked him.

“A little while,” Isa said, scratching his head. He yawned. “Guess we fell asleep.”

Lea grunted. He looked at the blanket that’s on Isa’s shoulder. “…She put that over us.”

Isa glanced at it, before pushing it off. “So why are you awake?”

Lea blinked at that, before he looked back at the weapon. “Uh…I…kind of had a strange dream,” he admitted. He sat down at a chair. “I don’t remember much of it, but…there’s a platform, and a voice…” he ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s…fuzzy in some parts. I meant to ask Aqua but…”

He heard Isa stood up, looking up to see him picking up the blanket and the pillows before tossing them to a nearby couch. “Lea…I’m not sure if we should just…blindly trust her,” he said. He leans against the wall. “It feels like there’s something she’s not telling us, considering your talk with her.”

Lea looked incredulous at him. “How long had you been awake?”

“Long enough to hear you talk about our world a bit,” Isa answered. “And bits of our lives.”

“I didn’t tell her everything,” Lea told him. “Just enough to let her know a bit about us. The three of us are practically stuck down here. Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, stay together?”

Isa furrowed his brows, frowning. “…So long as she’s keeping some secrets…I can’t trust her. We don’t know if she’s anything like Xehanort, or not. Not only that…she knew that Ventus kid we met last year. Around the time those strange monsters appeared, so did he. And then, sometime after he disappeared, so did those monsters, and Xehanort was found.” He held up a hand. “Don’t you think it’s strange? This could be connected.”

“Well, antagonizing her won’t get answers,” Lea pointed out. “We make her feel…not welcomed, it won’t get us any closer. Better to trust her than Xehanort, really.”

Isa raised an eyebrow at him. “Since when did you display common sense?”

Lea pouted at him. “I’ve been through a lot, man. Probably not as much as you had, but you didn’t spend the first half of the journey being fooled by illusions.”

He expected Isa to tease him about it- so he was surprised to see his expression go soft. Then apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“Hey…” Lea gently said. “It’s not like you intended for us to get separated down here. While our lives were endangered, sure…but, better than our old situation.” Not that it’s admittedly any better. Didn’t help that they were powerless to do anything about what happened to the other apprentices. His face sobered. “…What do you think happened back at home?”

Isa looked away. “…I don’t know,” he muttered softly. “We…could be all that’s left. Assuming the Heartless didn’t go out to attack the world afterwards.”

Lea grimaced. During the walk here, Isa explained to him about the place being where worlds, apparently, appear when they fall into darkness. And the monsters they had ran into are called ‘Heartless’, based on what Xehanort called them. He hesitated, thinking on the question he’s going to ask, then looked at Isa. “…Do you think…we may find our world down here?”

At first, Isa didn’t answer. His hands on his arms tightened a bit. “…I don’t know. Honestly, I hope not.”

Lea lowered his head. “Me too.”

The fire crackled and burned in the background. Isa sighed. “We should leave,” he said. “We might not be safe here for long.”

Lea nodded, before he pulled out his sock. Slipping his shoe off, he quickly put his sock back on and put his sneaker back on. He stood up. “…Hey, uh, off topic but…isn’t it weird that I don’t feel hungry?” Isa blinked at him. “I mean…we’ve been here for what? Hours? Yet I don’t feel hungry at all. The only time I felt tired was when I was walking and fighting for my life back there. But I don’t feel sleepy at all now.”

Isa stared at him blankly. He blinked. “…Now that you mentioned it, I didn’t feel hungry at all. I was so determined to find you that I hardly noticed.”

“Huh.” Lea looked around. “Think it might be an effect of this place?”

“Who knows?” Isa approached the door. “But, c’mon. Let’s go. We’ll figure out what to do with Aqua later.”

Lea couldn’t help but frown at him. Shouldn’t the point of survival be ‘sticking together’? He didn’t voice that out loud though, knowing fully well how stubborn Isa could be. He looked down at the weapon in his hand. _‘May as well give it back to her,’_ he thought, before following Isa to the door. It’s sort of heavy in his hand. She must have had a lot of time and practice to use it.

When the boys had exited the building, they found her near the glass case, kneeling over it. Her hands were on its surface, her forehead touching it lightly. He shared a glance with Isa, before they approached her. “…You okay?” Lea spoke up.

Aqua looked up at them, her eyes glassy. She looked like she wanted to cry but couldn’t. Or rather, she made herself unable to cry. Trying to be strong.

For a moment, Lea could feel sympathy for her. (Hadn't he been like that himself?)

Aqua looked down. “…I’m fine,” she answered, keeping her voice flat.

Lea looked at the casket. Then at her. “Did…you see something?” He asked her. “An illusion of someone?”

She looked away, the hand over the glass. “…I thought I saw Ven,” she muttered. “Sleeping in this. He disappeared when I got close though.”

“Oh,” Lea said softly. He looked at the weapon in his hand before he held it out to her. “Here. Isn’t this yours?”

Aqua stared at it. Then at him. She stood up and gently takes it from him. “It…belonged to someone else, actually,” she said softly, holding it in her hands. “He’s gone though.”

That...was a surprise. It belonged to someone else? She seems...really sad when she had it in her hands.

“…What happened?” Isa asked her after a moment.

Aqua shook her head. “It’s…a long story.”

Okay, so...something she isn't comfortable with telling yet.

Lea shrugged. “Well, we’re not exactly going anywhere,” he said. “Besides…we barely know you. You don’t have to tell us on what happened. Tell us about…the things that happened before. If you want.” He felt Isa’s eyes on him, but he didn’t care.

Aqua looked uncertain. “…Well….” She grunted, debating a bit. After a few moments, she sighed. “Okay. I owe you that much at least.” The three of them sat around. Then, she began her story.

“Before all of this…I was training to become a Keyblade Master, along with my friends, Terra and Ventus. Four years ago, well five, another Master brought Ven for our master, Eraqus, to take under his wing. Ventus lost all of his memories. Trying to talk to him…he fell unconscious. Our master took him in and gave him a room. Terra and I watched over him, until he eventually woke up. At first, it was like he was…stalled a bit. Like he was slowly relearning a few things. It made sense since he had lost his memories. But, overtime, he was a loving boy. He and Terra were close. Really close, like brothers. Terra gave him his old wooden Keyblade as a gift for him.” Huh, so that’s why it had the name ‘Terra’ on it. Aqua had a fond smile. “At times, we’d watch the stars together. I bake every now and then. Terra never liked sweets, but Ven loved them. Even our master. Those were the best four years of my life.”

“…You were close, huh?” Lea asked her.

Aqua nodded. “Very.” She looked at the Keyblade in her hand. “This was once Master Eraqus’ Keyblade. He taught the three of us everything he knew about how to use the Keyblade. To protect the worlds one day from the darkness.”

“…so, there were others,” Isa muttered. “But…not all Keyblade users are good, are they?”

Aqua’s face fell. “Honestly, I…couldn’t fathom that. Though, I was proven wrong.”

Sounds like a touchy subject. Lea sat up straight. “Well, uh…baking, huh?” He asked to change the subject. “What do you make?”

Aqua looked at him, before thinking. “Well, there’s preserved strawberry tart, galactic caramel pound cake…to name a few.”

Those sound interesting. “…Well, as soon as we get out of here, think you could bake us something?” Lea asked.

Aqua blinked in surprise, before smiling. “Heh. Sure. But only when we get out of here.”

Lea gave a thumbs up. “All right! Something to look forward to.”

“Really?” Isa asked him dryly.

“C’mon, Isa,” Lea turned his head to him, “don’t tell me that you aren’t interested as well.”

“We can’t eat sweets forever, you know,” Isa huffed.

Lea poked his cheek. “Says the guy who likes sea-salt ice cream,” he sassed back.

Isa was about to retort, until Aqua asked, “Sea salt ice cream?”

Lea looked at her, appalled. “You don’t know what sea salt ice cream is?!” he exclaimed.

Aqua looked startled. “Um!”

Lea got up to his feet. “Okay! First off, as soon as we get out,” he points at Aqua’s face, “we’re getting you some! All right?!”

“Uh…sure?” Aqua asked, uncertain.

“Then it’s settled! Let’s work on getting out of here!” Lea declared.

Isa stood up. “You’re ridiculous,” he said, shaking his head – but at the corner of Lea’s eyes, he can see him smirking. “But…all the more worth it once we get out.”

Lea grinned, before he held out his hand to Aqua. “C’mon, let’s go then!”

Aqua looked surprised at him. She let out a laugh before she takes his hand. He grunted to help her up. “At least you’re optimistic,” Aqua said to him. “But, first we should…” her eyes shifted a bit, but trailed off, staring at something. “Has that always been there?”

“Hm?” Lea blinked before he and Isa looked.

And floating there on its own is…a mirror. It has a gold frame around it, and looked pretty big to have your full body reflected back, but…how did they not notice it earlier?

Aqua approached it, with the two behind her, looking at it in caution. “How did we miss this?” Isa asked out loud.

“I don’t know,” Aqua responded.

“Mirrors don’t just magically appear out of nowhere though,” Lea had to point out. Realm of Darkness or not, that isn’t normal.

Aqua hummed, before reaching out to place her hand on its surface. “True…what is it doing here?”

Suddenly, there was an odd light that came from the other side of it. “Whoa!/What the-?!” Isa and Lea yelped out respectively.

“What?!” Aqua yelped out as well- before something grabbed her hand. It looked like… her own reflection is trying to pull her in? She struggled to escape its’ grip, but it was too strong.

“Hang on!” Lea cried out as he grabbed her around the midsection.

“Lea!” Isa called out before grabbing him. The three pulled against the reflection.

…Yet, Lea could have sworn two more hands joined the other- and a sudden yank pulled them in. They could only yell as they were, literally, pulled into the mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, the baking bit was from Aqua and Ventus' Character Files. Aqua truly does value her bond with Ventus and Terra.
> 
> ...Though, in Birth By Sleep, emulating what your 'role' is supposed to be doesn't do favors for anyone. So yeah. Everyone's a fucking mess.
> 
> (PS, Terra is 20 and acts like a big brother for Ven. Lea and Isa are teenagers, so of course Aqua would be a bit confused at how boys interact with each other.)
> 
> Oh...and do note that Lea never mentioned his and Isa's parents. There's a reason.


	4. Darkness of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Facing yourself is the hardest thing one could do.
> 
> Accepting your 'darkness', your 'shadow' is a step towards becoming a 'better' you.
> 
> (Persona references aplenty)

Aqua felt herself falling through this…strange space. She was aware of the two boys with her as they fell. She felt Lea’s arms release her. She looked to see him and Isa floating away. Then two mirrors, identical to the one that they found, floated by them. They both have that strange ‘light’ to them. They passed by the two and spun around them- and they were suddenly gone. Aqua’s eyes then looked at the third one that appeared sharply. It also has that same strange ‘light’ on the surface. It passed by her before it flew off.

Aqua noted an ‘opening’ she’s falling to, coming at her. She passes through-

And cried out when she was shot out. It’s only due to her strong reflexes did she flip in the air in time and landed on her feet, carrying the momentum down, bending her knees to send the kinetic force of her being shot out into the ground. After a moment, she slowly raised her head and looked around a bit. She stood up straight, eyes taking in the strange new world she just entered. She seems to be in a strange… ‘altar’ of sorts. No, not an altar. It reminded her of the room where she first found that strange mirror, back when the Dwarf Woodlands were in the Realm of Light. It’s a small chamber of sorts.

But Aqua quickly realized that Lea and Isa aren’t around. She looked around for them. “Lea? Isa?” she called out for them, walking to the exit. She walked down the small, stone stairs and onto the blue carpet. Further out are other small chambers. There are also pillars around, along with remnants of a bigger chamber. The ‘outside’ around the area looked like looking at a quartz crystal. She made note of her observations before looking around for the two boys. “Lea? Isa?” She called out again.

No response. What happened to them?

Aqua thought back to the mirrors that passed the three, with two of them taking the boys in. Her head shot up and looked back at the ‘entrance’ she just came out from. She quickly ran back to it. It’s another mirror, but- she immediately knew what’s wrong with it. It didn’t have her reflection. She reached out to it. “How…?” She muttered, pressing her hand to it. Nothing happened.

She furrowed her eyebrows, before looking back. “The mirrors…they probably had something to do with it,” she muttered. She just needs to find those mirrors, the ones that had the boys. But, for her reflection to not show up on this one…maybe the only way out of this ‘world’ is to find those mirrors. Narrowing her eyes, she walked back out into the middle of the ‘hub’, looking around. The other chambers each has a mirror themselves (and each of them having pictures of the zodiac on them). Curiously, there’s only three that are bare. “Maybe I would have to deal with the others, to have them appear?” She guessed.

It’s a long shot but…it’s worth taking a look at least.

She should find them, and fast.

_-_

Isa yelped out as he fell out of the ‘opening’, landing unceremoniously onto the ground. After a moment, he groaned, “Ow…” Grunting, he pushed himself up, rubbing his nose a bit. At least he didn’t land on his face, but that still hurt. He looked up. A long, stone staircase in a narrow hall stretched out before him. The way is lit up, at least, but…he looked around. “Aqua? Lea?” He called out.

No response. Tch. This place has a habit of separating people. Still, hm. He looked up at the staircase. “Better start climbing,” he muttered. He heads up the stairs, running his hand on the wall. But, as soon as he climbed up the first flight, he was startled to find that it wasn’t a second set of stairs but…a mirror! “Huh…!” he breathed out, looking up at it. That…created quite the illusion of there being more stairs. He wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t gotten close- wait. He narrowed his eyes at it. “…Aren’t mirrors supposed to have…reflections?” He muttered. This is…really strange. “…What’s going on here?”

_“That pursuit of yours will drive you to be alone…”_

Isa jerked before he looked around. There was no one there beside him. Just him. He turned around fully, eyeing for anything weird. Nothing.

Isa's lips went flat. "...I'm hearing things," he muttered. He looked back at the mirror. _'But why would the mirror not have my reflection?'_ He asked himself. He looked up at it. His mind thought back to the mirror that passed him earlier before he 'entered' it. _'Did those mirrors have something to do with it?'_

Hm. He looked at the mirror. He looked at his hand before he reaches out to it. He places his palm onto it. It glowed with him noticing, rippling with light. He felt his hand pass through it. Slowly, he walked through it...

...And emerged someplace else. Yet, more stairs. He looked back. There's nothing behind him now. he looked up. "Guess the only way to go is...up."

...He gave a look to this as moved... before hearing another voice, _"Your own friend doesn't have the same drive as you."_

Isa gave an annoyed grunt. _'Just ignore it Isa. It's nothing,'_ he thought. He briefly wondered if Lea had dealt with something like this.

He continued to go up, passing through yet another mirror. And ending up in practically the same area. He looked up at it. "What is this, a loop?" He scratched his head a bit, but he walked up the stairs regardless. He passes through that mirror...

And emerged in the seemingly same place. Yet...up ahead, something is different.

He stared up at that, before hurrying up the stairs. On the other side is the mirror that had taken him. _'What's that mirror doing here?_ ' He asked himself. Hm. That mirror might be important.

 _"What will you do, when he decides to replace you?"_ The voice asked him. _"And then forget you?"_

Isa narrowed his eyes. "I know Lea better than that. He wouldn't..."

_"Wouldn't he?"_

Gah. What's he doing, talking to that voice? He shook his head. "You're...nothing more than some illusion trying to trick me," he muttered. He won’t let this get to him.

But as soon as he passed through the mirror…

…He’s back at the start.

He stared, unblinking. He threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. “Oh, come on!” He complained. Thankfully, Lea isn’t around to see him like this. He wouldn’t let Isa hear the end of it. He had been SO close…!

Isa sighed through his nose. Okay, calm down Isa. Think…there must be another path. He’ll have to look carefully at the clues. He looked up. The only way to go is ‘up’ right now. He should look carefully in every room he ‘enters’ before continuing on. He goes through the room again…before finding the eerily similar path, but this time he looked around. He glances around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He pats the walls just in case they're illusions. They're as real as can be. Nodding to himself, he heads up the stairs and passes through the 'mirror'.

In the 'new' room, he looked around, noticing a different path. Hmm...too easy, he thought, eyes narrowing. He enters the path, noticing a lone chest. Frowning, Isa approaches it. He knelt down and opens it. Revealing a bottle. The contents have a blue liquid within it, having two small green stars and a small crescent shaped thing in it. Isa plucks it from the chest. _‘Why would there be chests down here?’_ He thought it was odd that they would just…appear randomly around like that. But, something told him this might come in handy. He stuffs it into his pocket, before he heads up the stairs. He looked around as he does so, to try to find something unusual. Different.

Nothing yet. He passes through the mirror. And he's back in the room where the odd mirror is. He goes up the stairs, staring at it. _'Why would this be here?'_ He asked himself. Unless...he turned around, and looked down the stairs- finding the mirror, simply floating there.

 _'Well, I feel like an idiot,'_ he thought, bored. He is SO glad Lea isn't here right now. He wouldn't let him hear the end of it for missing that. He won't mention this to Lea, ever.

He heads down the stairs. " _What point is there in all of this?"_ The voice spoke up, making him stop in the middle. He sighed, feeling annoyed.

"You're not going to get to me!" He informed the voice. "So, stop this."

 _"How can you even know that Ansem or even Xehanort would know where the girl is?"_ The voice questioned him, making Isa pause. _"What if she never existed? And you two were just endangering your lives for no reason?"_

Isa narrowed his eyes, clenching his hand. He won't deign to answer. He hurried down the stairs, coming up to the mirror. He stared at it. It showed his reflection back. Seeing his face now, he lightly traces the scar on his face. He never seen it for himself, but the 'x' looked a bit too...perfect. It's small, but...the cuts are deep.

He noticed what he was doing, chuckling softly. "Why am I being self-conscious about this scar?" He asked himself, shaking his head slightly. "I was just...lucky to get out of there." He huffed to himself, looking back at his reflection-

Only, the reflection has gold eyes. He jumped back in surprise- yet the mirror didn't, well, mirror his movements.

"Wha-? What is this?" Isa breathed out in shock- and then his reflection reached out. And THROUGH the mirror, grabbing him by the front. Isa yelped as he was practically yanked into the mirror.

The next thing he knew, he was ‘thrown’ onto the floor, landing harshly. The floor 'squeaked' a little when he skidded a bit. Isa groaned a bit, before he pushed himself up a bit. He noticed he’s in a new room, but…

The room looked…odd. There was odd smoke in the room, all around him. “…The hell…?” He muttered, pushing himself up to his knees. Looking around, there’s nothing…off. Nothing, but a lone floating mirror, just…sitting there. He pushed himself to stand up fully. He looked around again. Just…him. He looked back at the mirror. Slowly, he approached it. The soles of his shoes clicked against the surface, as if he’s walking on glass. He stood before the mirror, seeing his reflection. “…What’s going on here…” he muttered.

The mirror’s surface started to glimmer, with Isa doing a take as he stepped back.

 _"There is...a price for everything,"_ the voice said...as, himself(?) stepped out of it. The doppelgänger has gold eyes, before he gave a look to Isa. Then he said, **"Even power."**

Isa stared in surprise...but noticed it. "Wait. That voice...it was...you?" What even IS this? "Who ARE you?" Isa questioned.

 **"Isn't it obvious? I'm _you,_ "** the reflection told him.

"Me? But...you...can't be me," Isa responded, unable to comprehend it.

 **"This Dark Realm..."** the reflection curled his fingers before him, bringing his hands to himself. **"It has an interesting effect on its victims. Whether to whittle away at memories...to make others see those they wanted to see and missed dearly...to drive them to the point of despair. To have them fall into darkness."**

Isa stared at him...yet, his mind couldn't help but think back to when he had seen an illusion of Lea, back when he first met Aqua. And Aqua's reactions back at the castle, and at the case...and Lea remarking of him being yet another 'illusion'. _'So...it was this Realm's doing?'_ He asked himself. "So that's just how it is here. In that case, I'll have to fight through until we find a way out."

The reflection...gave a smirk. **"Can you?"** He asked him.

Isa hesitated…before he pursed his lips, determined. "...Only one way to find out."

 **"So, you intend to fight me?"** the reflection asked him. **"With what? Oh, but don't think that you could use the 'power' you had gotten. You hadn't tapped into it yet, have you? Could you even defend yourself from the Heartless?"**

Isa narrowed his eyes. "What are you implying?"

**"You only used it to escape to this realm. You could have used it on Xehanort. You could have used it for anything else. Yet here you are, letting the others do your dirty work."**

"Lea and I couldn't exactly fight," Isa said.

 **"But Lea DID survive up until you found him, did he? Somehow. Yet, you couldn't do a thing, except escape from Xehanort."** The reflection gave a look at him. **"If not for Lea's capability to survive...he may as well have been dead weight."**

Isa threw his arm out angrily, shouting, "Lea is NOT dead weight!"

 **"If giving the choice, you would save your own skin, leaving him to his fate."** A cruel smirk formed on his face. **"But...he could also leave YOU to your fate, saving himself instead."**

Isa jerked, as if he had been slapped. "Lea would never..."

**"But he could."**

Isa gave a growl...before taking a stance. "I had enough of you..." He muttered, hands curling into fists. "You don't know Lea like I do!" He shouted as he threw a punch at him-

But the reflection simply moved aside, letting the punch pass him. Isa quickly found his footing, looking back at him.

 **"By all means..."** The 'Phantom' beckoned him with his finger. **"Enlighten me."**

Isa gritted his teeth. Isa soon tried to fight hand to hand but the Phantom weaved through a couple and caught a couple before tripping Isa.

Isa landed on his back. He heard the Phantom laugh at him.

Isa gave a look before managed to trip up the phantom before getting on him to punch him. He only got in a couple of punches before the ‘Phantom’ sank into the floor. Isa looked around to see him reappear at a distance.

The Phantom didn’t look bothered, even with his cheeks bruised. Somehow, Isa knew he wouldn’t go down easily. In all honesty, he never thought the training - if you could call it that - from the guards would come in handy here. But he only knew the basics. All he has to beat the Phantom...somehow.

…But if he really is ‘him’, then he’ll just tire out and go when the opportunity presents itself. Meaning…

Hm… Time to be tricky. Isa flattened his lips into a determined line, getting into a stance.

_-_

Lea groaned, holding his head. “This is so annoying!” he complained. He had been in this place for, what felt like, hours. He found himself in a strange place with several stone pillars around, yet there’s no ceiling or floor – if you could call the ‘floor’ even a floor. It’s a giant mirror, with everything else reflected except for him.

Huffing, Lea tapped his foot before looking down to the floor… “…Okay, Lea… if you were Isa, what would you do? Because clearly, being ‘Lea’ isn’t enough right now.”

Earlier, he had tried the straightforward route, heading to the chamber, but the area had gotten dark when he got close…

And he ended up back at the ‘beginning’. He tried a couple more times, but the same result. He crossed his arms, tapping his arm a bit. “Okay…if I can’t go straight…there’s obviously a trick to this…” He stared down at the floor…before he noticed it. “Wait a minute. If this is a big mirror then…the real path is…” He looked back up to the chamber, “reflected.” Meaning…he may need to find a way to have it show. But how…? Lea looked around carefully, looking for anything off. And noticed it. A pillar nearby had glowing cracks on it. He pointed at it. “That looks important,” he stated before approaching it.

But when he got close, he just realized something. “Ugh…I don’t have anything to bash it open,” he muttered, shoulders slumping. He stared at it. “So…can I pry a rock off the wall to hit it?” He scratched his head at it. It doesn’t seem likely. Humming, he looked at his hand. _‘Hm… I wonder…’_ He backed up a bit and pointed his hand at it. _‘Maybe I could…blast it off?’_ He asked himself. He used his other arm to steady it. _‘One way to find out.’_ Using his prior experience, he managed to make a fireball form in his hand.

Narrowing his eyes, he soon focused. “Fire!” On command, the weak fire ball shot off, hitting it. Yet, all it did was scorch the wall a bit.

Lea had a bored frown, lowering his hand. “…Well, that didn’t work,” he muttered. The only reason it worked last time was because the ceiling was weak enough from that Heartless’ thrashing. The fire magic he used was powerful because his life was threatened. And he can’t exactly put his life in danger all the time to get that high. A shame he didn’t carry that pickaxe with him…or had something to break it or pry it loose. Maybe he’ll have to think…outside of the box.

He looked over at the pillar, feeling it. It feels like normal stone. But the light is showing through it for some reason…

…Wait a minute. He looked around as he noticed a Heartless. He looked at the Heartless, then at the glowing crack. Hm…he looked around a bit before he noticed a rock. He grabbed the rock and chucked it at the small thing. It bounced off of its head, but it got its attention. It looked at him with glowing yellow eyes. He made a ‘bring it on’ gesture at it, making a smirk. “Free heart, right here,” he taunted.

The Heartless soon charged before Lea soon ducked a jump attack with the Heartless clawing the wall, prying loose a stone. Noticing it, Lea smirked. “Thank you!” He thanked it before he blasted that Heartless into oblivion with a close-range fireball. Once it’s gone, he looked at his hands. “I think I’m getting used to this.” He wiggled his fingers. “I wonder what else I could do with it.”

_“Can’t you do anything right?”_

Lea paused. He looked around. “…What the…?” It sounds familiar… He felt a spike of annoyance, recognizing it. _‘Oh great, it’s him…’_ he thought. He hadn’t heard him since…well, his thrashing back at the mines a while back. He narrowed his eyes a bit, before looking at the pillar. Behind the bricks is…another reflective surface. The ‘hole’ made is big enough for him to squeeze through, but…hm. He approached it and places his hand onto the surface. It rippled, to his surprise, before he slips through…

And found himself in the same area…but upside down! He looked around, stunned. “That actually worked,” he muttered, surprised. …Now to find way out of here.

He looked around a bit and noticed the chamber. He proceeded towards it- and tripped over something. "Ow! What the...?" He looked at what tripped him, seeing a chest. "The heck's a chest doing here?" He asked himself, before opening it. It showed a Potion. He made a bored look before putting it in his pocket. "Well, I'll take it." he stood up, and looked to the chamber. He cautiously approached it...but noticed that it grows dark. He sighed. "Well, that's too good to be true..." he muttered. He needs to find a way to not make it disappear...

He looked around- and founded another pillar that has the glowing cracks.

Lea made a bored frown at it and walked back to the previous pillar...before he returned, dragging the chest with him. He looked over at it for a few moments. Lea then got a good grip on it and smacks it against the wall. “I really hope someone doesn’t mind…” He muttered. He looked at the chest in confusion. “Where do these chests come from anyways?” It was the first time he noticed it, really. Do they just…magically appear or something? Things had gotten weird for them since landing down here.

…Actually, never mind. If they’re down here for no reason, no one would care.

With that in mind, he got his grip back onto it, using it as a makeshift weapon. He gave the pillar a few good whacks before he made an opening with it. Lea looked down at the ruined chest before he tossed it aside. He soon went through the opening and found himself in the ‘right-side up’ world. Only, he noticed that the chamber is in the ‘upside-down’. Meaning, the other one that can lead to it should be around here somewhere…

He carefully walked forward, looking around…and found the last one near the chamber. Feh. He should have held onto that chest. Don’t think he could get it back now. “Okay, what now…?” he muttered, looking around. His eyes caught onto the small lantern hanging on it. He stared at it. He gently takes it off…and threw it at the ground, breaking it. Carefully, he pries it apart, mindful of the glass. “Should have done this earlier,” he muttered, before he managed to get the top off. He looked over at it before using it as a makeshift pick to begin prying the stone out. It was a slow process, but he focused onto his task, carefully prying them out and removing the stone. Soon enough, he removed just enough for him to get through. He soon went into it and ended up in the upside down once more.

The chamber is near him, and it isn’t disappearing anytime soon. He walked inside of it, seeing a lone mirror there. It looks identical to the one that had dragged him here. Lea approached the mirror, staring at it. “Huh. Is this mirror the key to get out?” He asked himself. He reached out and tapped the surface. It rippled, showing something new beyond it. Lea stared in surprise at that. He took a deep breath through his mouth and exhaled through his nose, curling his hand into a fist. He reached out, and his hand goes through the surface. He carefully goes through it…

…And enters a new area.

Lea looked around. “…Oookay… Now where am I?”

He walked forward a bit, looking around. _“You survived longer than expected,”_ he stopped when he heard the voice, his voice, speak. He looked around before he spotted the mirror. He approached it, seeing his reflection. He didn’t stand before it, but just enough away from it. A good thing, as the surface shined, with Lea surprised. And stepping out, is his reflection, with his green eyes…off. A venomous green color.

Lea looked startled, before he shrugged. “Well…what can I say? I’m hard to kill.”

 **“More like lucky,”** the reflection said, looking at him lazily.

“…Okay, maybe that was a bit lucky,” Lea conceded, “but some Heartless aren’t smart.”

 **“True. But…”** The Phantom then summoned fireballs in his hands. **“How about against yourself?”** He asked with a dark smirk.

“…Uh oh,” Lea meeped. He dodged the fireballs tossed at him. Lea formed one himself, before he fired it at the Phantom…but it barely had an effect on him!

The Phantom looked at him, bored. **“You honestly think that would work?”** He asked him.

Lea stared. “Uh…to be honest, I kinda did,” he sheepishly admitted. “Though, didn’t think you’re fire- WHOA GEEZ!” He yelped out as he narrowly dodged a pillar of fire. Lea stared at that. _‘Holy crap, could I do that?’_ He asked himself. “Gotta learn to do that,” he muttered to himself. “This could be a learning experience from this.”

If he survives that is, from being cooked alive.

_-_

Aqua had exited out of yet another mirror, before noticing a lone mirror with a larger path seen above. “Hmm…Strange.” She had taken care of the other mirrors, and though they have their own unique puzzles, they weren’t exactly a problem (aside from the Heartless popping in). Once she did, she noticed a new one that materialized and entered it. Now she’s here. But where exactly is ‘here’? She approached the mirror. Staring at it, she noticed that there’s a ‘path’ seen revolving around.

She looked at where it was…but saw nothing. Yet another puzzle to do. She hummed, before taking a look around. …And soon noticed the path above…and looking back at the mirror, the path within. Humming, she waited…and soon touched the mirror. The path in the mirror disappeared…and appeared where the mirror showed it.

…But it was to the left of the path. “Huh. So that’s how it works,” she muttered. “I may have to time this right to make the paths I want them.”

The path was a bit off course, but, it can be fixed. Aqua interacted with the mirror before the path disappeared with the path seen…with the view ‘rotating’ like before. Aqua waited…and soon timing it just right to make it more aligned. “There we go,” she said before she went up that path. Looking around a bit, it looked to be parts of an old mine. Lea had been in the mines himself when they found him a while back. Are parts of the world reflecting parts of the Dwarf Woodlands? Aqua hummed-

 _“Just give into the darkness, and let yourself fade away,”_ Aqua perked at the voice.

She looked around. “Who’s there…?” She called out warily. No answer.

…Yet, the voice sounded like…hers.

“…Why am I hearing my own voice?” She asked herself, disturbed. Something doesn’t…feel right. She tried not to let it bother her, going off to go through the area. The puzzle was simple. By using the other mirrors, she can transfer something from ‘its’ world, into ‘this’ world. There were some Heartless that appeared – some with the water element and purple ‘flutterings’ but with some magic and a Shotlock, they’re gone. Easily at least. But after navigating the path a bit, it wasn’t long until she founded a familiar mirror. “This is the one that passed me,” she muttered, before approaching it.

The ‘inside’ showed a different’ world’. Maybe she would have to go in there…?

She narrowed her eyes at it. No other option it seems – it’s the only way forward. She reached out and pressed her hand against the surface. It rippled and glowed with that eerie light. She steps through it-

-And appearing within the mirror’s ‘world’. She looked around with a critical eye, before looking ahead. Simply floating there, is the mirror. She walked up to it, seeing her reflection. She thought back to the voice – her voice? – she had heard while she was clearing those ‘worlds’. As if she’s hearing her own ‘doubts’ come to the surface. “Is this what it means to face your demons?” She queried.

…However, the mirror reacted with Aqua surprised. In reaction to it, she instinctively summoned her Keyblade…but, her reflection was standing there, before Aqua leapt back when the ‘reflection’ extended her hand through the shimmering mirror.

 **“Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon’s,”** the reflection state, walking out as she drew the exact Keyblade Aqua has. Her eyes, though, is a blank, sky blue.

Aqua grimaced. What is this reflection- this…Phantom, implying? “That’s not true!” She had her hand over her chest. “My heart is strong! I’ll prove it!”

The Phantom only gave a sardonic smirk. **“Is it? Nice bravado you have. But that’s all it is. A façade.”**

Aqua readied a combative stance. The Phantom glowed- before it entered her Style Command: Spellweaver.

_-_

Unknown to the three of them, however…the mirror’s smoke is hard to see through…but they have their own fights. Without even realizing it, they’re in the same ‘place’.

Isa is seen slugging the Phantom…with Phantom Isa giving a chuckle with the boy growling, “Tch…!”

 **“That all you got?”** His phantom taunted.

“He’s practically a punching bag that punches back…” Isa muttered. Now what? He can’t keep this up.

The ‘view’ soon cuts through the smoke…

To Lea, the red-haired boy dodging his reflection’s attacks. Lea yelled before trying to make his own pillar to blast up a small flame jet to scorch his Phantom. _‘At least I figured that one out,’_ he thought. But it’s a little harder to manifest, considering. It isn’t like a regular fire ball. Phantom Lea, though, gave a smirk before a wall of fire appeared behind Lea with him noticing. And then, the Phantom shot out another wall of fire at him, heading right at Lea. Lea’s eyes went wide in shock. _‘Crap, crap, crap!’_ He mentally exclaimed. What can he do? What can he do? What can he-? Wait. Fire can basically ‘kill’ each other, right? They need oxygen and fuel to keep burning. But would it apply with magical fire?

…Well, he’d rather not get his goose cooked. Filled with determination, Lea narrowed his eyes. He yelled as he fired multiple fireballs to the wall of flames, hitting it several times. While it didn’t look like it did much- they managed to make a break. Huh, that actually worked! He leapt through without much of a singe on him, the two walls colliding and exploding behind him. Lea panted, feeling sweat covering him. _‘Ugh…I guess fire magic takes a lot outta ya…’_ e thought. But he can’t quit now. Standing up, he wiped the sweat off his brow before he formed the fireballs. “All right let’s go…” he muttered.

**“Please- you can’t even keep up anymore. You really are a lucky amateur.”**

Lea…paused at that. “…Yeah, you’re right,” he admitted. "I only managed to survive so far was through sheer luck. It was only through luck we didn't lose our lives in that Heartless Manufactory. It was luck that we got away from Xehanort. And that it was luck that Isa...made that portal to save us. But the other parts, with that ghost Heartless, and the mines...those were only luck." he glanced away. "...And I can't rely on that forever. Sooner or later, it's gonna end."

 **“Yeah,”** Phantom Lea agreed, forming a big sized Fireball in his hand. **“And it ends today.”**

Lea narrowed his eyes at the Phantom. “…Yeah. You’re right,” he admitted. “If I’m going to stop relying on luck…then it’s time for me to get better. If I can change…then this dumb luck…” He focuses the power into one, dismissing the other, before bellowing, “ends NOW!” He fired the Fireball into Phantom Lea’s hand – with the Phantom noticing it with a shocked look. The collision created an explosion with the phantom yelling…and soon disappeared.

Lea panted, but…it soon eased a bit, with him standing straight. “…I guess you were like me…” he muttered to his Phantom, “but being an arrogant idiot. You may be better, but you still let your guard down.” He looked up. _‘Maybe this whole mess is my fault,’_ he thought. _‘We got into this mess because I was just curious. But…I can’t cry about what happened back then. What happened, happened. If we’re going to get out of this…we have to work together.’_

And that means…being able to trust each other. If they can’t, this place would take them out.

Lea had a hand over his chest, staring down at it. “Maybe…you were the part of me that thought of himself as ‘better’ – with hardly a care in the world. And also, my doubts, my fears…you’re the part of me I didn’t want to face. Yet…you showed me that our actions have consequences. You were right about a bunch of things…but, even someone like me can change.” As he started to look up…he noticed something through the smoke. “Hm?”

It’s…shadows. They look familiar- Lea did a take. “…Wait, are those two…” It dawns on him. It wasn’t just him that’s in here. He pulled out the Potion he got earlier, chugging it (despite the bitter taste), to heal his wounds. Once it’s empty, he tosses it away – which disappears in stars (not that he noticed). “…Gotta get to them.”

Cutting back to Isa, he panted as the reflection was still going strong. “…he’s too good,” he panted. “I had that Hi-Potion…just so I can stay in this fight…” he staggered a bit before he fell to his knees.

 **“Are you going to give up?”** The Phantom asked him…as something in the smoke moved without the two noticing. Isa curled his fingers onto the surface, gritting his teeth.

The ‘shadow’ that resembles Lea approaches…before he soon emerged from the smoke, noticing it. “…Tch…” he grimaced. _‘Isa’s worn out…even he has one, too?’_ Lea asked himself. He looked between the two, before he furrowed his brows. “…Questions for later, I guess. Right now,” he held up a hand to charge up a small fireball, “aim for the one that’s obviously winning.” He aimed carefully…and then launched it at the one still standing- with the reflection hit with a grunt.

Isa did a take at that. “Huh?”

Lea soon stood before him, with a glower. “Back away from my friend,” he said to the Phantom Isa.

Isa is in shock. “You made it…” he muttered.

“Yeah…turns out there is a way to beat them,” Lea responded to him, not taking his eyes off of Phantom Isa.

The phantom shook himself before noting the red head. He sneered. **“You’ve beaten _him,_ huh? Didn’t expect that of you.”**

“And you look like Isa, if he had the creepy gold eyes,” Lea said back. “Don’t know where you sprang out from…but, if I managed to beat my own phantom…” he gestured his head to Isa. “So, could he.”

**“Please…all he could do was be thrashed.”**

Lea made a stern look. “…Well, he’s stubborn like that,” he said. “he was the one who wanted to help that girl we met – even going as far as joining the apprentices. I mean, sure,” he shrugged. “It was his idea to be that…but it was my idea to try to save her. We were naïve idiots, I’ll admit. But…” he glanced at Isa, then at the Phantom, manifesting a fire ball. “We made the choice to try to save her. That’s something we both agreed on.”

 **“Even you can’t hope to,”** Phantom Isa chided. **“But can you do that he can’t?”**

“Honestly? I don’t have that drive Isa does. He never gives up on people…admirable, but that can bring its own troubles too,” Lea responded. “I can barely keep up with that stubborn drive of his… But, it if goes too far, then the only thing I CAN do for him, is pull him out when he gets lost. But if this place is making him lost… I guess I’ll have to drag him back. That’s what a friend can do at least.”

And Isa…only stared at Lea in surprise. Stunned by his speech. “…Lea…” he breathed out.

Lea smiled at him. “So…my only comment is, you going to let that smug side of you waver your resolve? Or…” He held out his free hand to him, “are you just going to sit there?”

Isa looked at him, calm…before he made his own smug expression. “Not on your life.” He took Lea’s offered hand and let himself be helped up. “Who’s going to save you when you mess up?”

Lea grinned. “THAT’s the Isa I know.” He looked at Phantom Isa with him. “But I guess that’s also you…just doubting yourself. Time to put these doubts to rest for now, right?”

“Right,” Isa replied, nodding- before Lea fired the fireball with the Phantom noting the attack before guarding against the fireball. Isa used that distraction to quickly get behind him to slug his Phantom to disorientate him…before he grabbed the Phantom around the middle, yelling as he managed to do a suplex, slamming the Phantom to the ground. That was enough to defeat him, the Phantom disappearing into light.

Lea stared in surprise. “Since when can you DO that?” He asked, pointing at Isa.

Isa stood up straight, looking at Lea. “Since when can you do magic?” He asked back.

The two stared at each other…before the two snorted and laughed. Then Isa winced with Lea noticing. “Ugh. Okay, I pulled something,” he groaned, falling to the ground.

But Lea was there, catching him. “I gotcha buddy,” he muttered.

“…Thanks,” Isa muttered.

“Yeah,” Lea nodded. He looked around. “Seems like the only way to beat these guys is accepting that it’s a part of you and moving on,” he figured. “…It’s like…knowing the bad stuff is there…but…making the good stuff look better by accepting that part of you?”

Isa looked at him. “…That sounds cheesy, coming from you,” he said. His face softens. “But…somehow, that sounds a bit philosophical for you.”

“Hey,” Lea sounds and looked insulted, but not really.

Isa looked out. “Still…even you, huh?”

Lea helped him stand. “Yeah. I only survived this far was due to dumb luck, anyway. But…” he scratches his head. “Well, I can get better.”

Isa nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. “That’s the only way forward.”

Lea looked around, then at something. He looked at Isa. “Speaking of… you’re not too tired to back up the Keyblade Master, are you?” he asked him, before pointing at the two shadows fighting in the smoke.

Isa looked surprised. “She’s here too?”

“Yeah. And…I think even she’s got doubts herself as well,” Lea said. “…And maybe some other issues.”

“Hm…right,” Isa nodded. “Let’s go.” The two looked to the direction the shadows are and moved forward.

Back with Aqua, she cartwheeled through the magic attacks, flipping into the air to shot a fire spell at the phantom. The reflection coated herself in an aura to lunge- it was enough to diffuse the attack with Aqua jumping back to dodge the lunge. _‘It’s like fighting my own, darker self,’_ she thought with a grimace. She’s tougher than she looked.

Suddenly, Dark Aqua got hit by a fire spell, knocking her off balance. Aqua blinked at that. “Where did…?” She looked to where it came from…

And right there is Lea, having his hand out. “Need some help?” Lea asked her.

Aqua stared at him in surprise, as Isa emerged next to him. “How did you get here?”

“The same as you,” Isa answered. “But it looks like they all led to similar places.”

“We also faced our phantoms too,” Lea explained. “But if you’re having trouble with her, you’re gonna need back up.”

They also faced their phantoms? “Is there a way to beat them?” Aqua asked them.

“Well, one way to find out,” Isa replied.

“Then let’s go!” Lea called out, launching out a fireball. Aqua’s Reflection notes them and just disappeared, with the fireball missing her. It allowed the boys to quickly get to Aqua’s side, in stances. The next time she appeared, however, multiple copies of her were seen with the three noticing, each of them walking around them ominously. Isa looked over at them all, before eyeing one in particular.

“Lea, what other fire abilities you have?” Isa asked him.

“Well, I figured out how to make pillars of fire,” Lea answered.

“Then just shoot a fireball at that one,” Isa ordered, pointing at the one he was eyeing. Lea spotted it, before he charged up a fireball…and soon launches it at the Phantom, hitting it. As soon as it hits its mark, the illusions disappeared. “Aqua, go!”

Aqua gripped her Keyblade, leaping in to land a couple of solid hits onto the reflection- but the reflection pulled away, disappearing!

“I can see why you have trouble with her,” Isa muttered in annoyance as they looked around.

“Yeah, teleporting? That’s cheap,” Lea agreed.

 **“How ‘touching’ to have them with you,”** Phantom Aqua is heard. **“I wonder if you’ll drive them away, like you did with your old ‘friends’?”** Ise noted the phrasing, glancing at Aqua. And for a brief moment, he saw her go still. Just for one single moment, he saw her hesitate.

“I…Didn’t drive them away,” she muttered, clenching her weapon.

“What?” Lea muttered, not hearing it well. Isa narrowed his eyes at it.

“…Drive them away. I wonder…” he muttered. He made a determined look. “Aqua, what happened to that?”

“Huh?” Aqua jerked in surprise.

“If they’re trying to make you hesitate – pry into your heart like that…”

“Then the only way to take that ‘strength’ from them is to expose that before they can,” Lea finished.

“Take that ‘strength’? But…” Aqua began as Lea noted something.

He grimaced before he held out his arms- and pillars of fire appeared around the three, stopping the Phantom Aqua from attacking. The two looked at him in surprise, with Lea having an eye closed, concentrating. “Isa, do what you gotta do,” he told his friend. “I’ll keep her off us for now. But don’t talk to me! This isn’t easy!” He gestured his head to his arms, holding them up.

Isa saw it for what it is, nodding to his friend in gratitude. He looked at Aqua. “Aqua, what happened between your friends? When was it that you fought?” He asked her. “If it’s hard to talk about…wouldn’t it be better for you to get it off your chest than to keep it in?” Outside of the pillars of fire, Phantom Aqua walked around, finding an opening. “Lea and I fought our own Phantoms…but Lea of all people was the first to beat his, before he helped me with mine. If someone like him could do that…well, what would that mean for you?”

Aqua hesitated. Isa sighed. “Listen, I wanted to trust you. I really do. But…how can I do that if you don’t give us enough about yourself?” He asked her. “You told us of your life before you got here. You cared about your friends, that much is true…but, what exactly happened that had you get a fallout with them?”

She hesitated again. Until, she answered softly, “…I was…doing a favor for my master.” She looked at Isa. “Remember when I told you guys, about mine, Terra and Ven's dream of being a Keyblade Master?" Isa nodded. "Out of the three of us, only I became a Master. But soon after mine and Terra's exam, the monsters you two saw, the Unversed, appeared. While we were tasked of dealing with them, Master Eraqus promised Terra that he could reconsider it if he could proof himself. Though, the Master asked me to watch over Terra - he meant what he said, but he was worried about Terra. I had confidence that he wouldn't fall into darkness...but...the last two worlds after the Castle of Dreams, hearing about what Terra did, including stealing a person's heart...we reunited at Radiant Garden, yet all I did was accuse Terra of using it."

...Isa had an incredulous look. "...So, you took the words out of people who didn't know him and judged him on those actions."

Aqua did a take at that. He didn’t exactly sugarcoat it.

Isa shook his head at her. "Geez. From the sound of it, it made it like you thought you 'knew better' than to do what he did," he said.

"Though you can't exactly confirm that. But how gullible can you be to do that?" Lea asked. "It sounds like you're more like classmates than you are friends. I mean, this is me making colorful commentary here, but when that exam happened, you just treated them like...fellow classmates, huh?"

"It's supposed to be my duty as a Keyblade Master to help watch over the worlds. It's a priority." Aqua answered, as if it’s just common sense to her.

Lea sighed. "Okay, I get it. You're trying to be the responsible one but what kind of 'responsible one' just goes and questions their friends like that?" His arms started to slacken. “I mean, really?” Isa helped his arms up. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” Isa nodded. “But, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Lea’s right.” He looked at Aqua, almost accusingly. “You also said something hurtful to Ventus as well, before you left, right?”

Aqua looked surprised. “Hurtful? But…I just told him to go home.”

“Yeah, well, when Isa and I first met him, he was sitting all by himself, playing with that toy Keyblade Terra gave him,” Lea told her. “I had to try to cheer him up, even if it means getting my butt handed to me. He’s good. You should have given him more credit than to tell him to just go home.”

Aqua looked at them and furrowed her brows, trying to think. Isa frowned at her. “You don’t even remember? Is being a master more important to you than friendship? It seems to me that you’ve let it gone to your head.”

When Isa said the last part of the sentence, something…clicked for Aqua. It helped her recall her conversation with Ventus, soon after they defeated the Trinity Armor Unversed…

…

_"You're awful, Aqua," Ventus told her, after Terra stormed off. Aqua grimaced, tightening her grip on her lucky charm._

_She looked at Ventus. "So now you know the truth. But the master loves Terra, and you know that too."_

_Ventus didn't agree with her. It seemed he had realized something himself. "Were you...also 'ordered' to take me home?" The way he said it, made it sound like he's accusing her now. That...shouldn't have hurt. Aqua didn't answer. And silence...apparently spoke for her. Ventus looked down, looking disappointed. "Aqua... Now that you're a Keyblade Master, you've let it go to your head." He shook his head. "I'm gonna find Terra." He ran off, with Aqua reaching out for him...but, she didn't stop him._

…

Let it gone to my head…

Aqua’s eyes went wide in shock. “…Was I…” She looked uncertain. “Was I really like that?”

The two looked at her. They glanced at her each other, before nodding.

“But…” Aqua lowered her Keyblade, “I’ve been trying to do my duty as a Keyblade Master. We were supposed to protect the World Order. We can’t let personal feelings get in the way.” She stated it like it’s something to be obeyed without question. “We couldn’t let the darkness out – keep our feelings in check.” She had her hand to her chest. “That’s what our Master taught us.”

“Well, it’s that same problem that’s _causing_ your reflection to attack us!” Lea retorted. “You’re practically ignoring your own feelings – and they’re lashing out through this stupid phantom!” The flames fluctuated wildly around them. “What. Is being human so bad that you’re literally keeping yourself from crying? You looked like you wanted to cry back there before we got into this place! What’s the point of being ‘strong’ if you can’t let yourself admit how bad it is?” The fire then began to grow small, with him noticing. “Aw crap.”

“You’re starting to run out of steam,” Isa noted.

“I know, but it’s more like I lost my focus,” Lea corrected, “I can’t talk and burn!” he concentrated, having the flames return to normal.

With their protection back, Isa looked at Aqua. “Lea has a point,” Isa stated to her. “You have to be honest about those feelings you had. If you keep your own ‘darkness’ at bay, then it’s no different from suppressing yourself. You’re afraid of this place, you miss your friends, and you’re just lying to yourself. Lea said that the Darkness can compliment the Light -because one can make the other stronger. Your memories of your friends and your argument is making that dark reflection,” he pointed at where Phantom Aqua is, “stronger. But you can turn doubts and fears into strength to surpass this.”

He had a hand on his chest. “Just like Lea and I did. If we’re able to accept that ‘darker’ half, and clear away our doubts…why can’t you? You should have had better faith in your friends, should have listened to them. Shouldn’t have given up on them for what other people say!” He curled his hand, staring at Aqua with an intense look that even Aqua drew away from. “What kind of a ‘Master’ are you, if you think duty comes first before the people you care about? Especially if that duty is what got you down here in the first place; and what drove them away?”

Aqua was surprised at his words- but that surprise soon shifted into shock when the Phantom Aqua breached the flames with a yell. Lea didn’t have time to yell himself, his eyes wide. Everything was slow motion. A red aura is around the Phantom. Aqua instinctively threw up a barrier around them- but the Phantom simply breached through it. And attacked with such a strong force, it not only dispelled the pillars of fire, but also sent the three flying back with them yelling. The three rolled onto the ground, but Lea twitched where he is when they came to a stop.

“Ugh…okay, I’m done,” Lea groaned.

Isa managed to push himself up slightly with a grunt…but he’s spent too. He looked to Aqua, who also pushed herself up a bit. “Don’t let that knock off win,” he said to her. “One good shot is all you need…if you got the strength to face her.”

Aqua stared at him before looking at Lea. _‘Lea…’_ she thought as the dark reflection approached. She looked between the two boys. She looked down at the ‘floor’, unable to see her reflection. But…it isn’t her reflection she’s looking for. She thought about what the two had said…before she curled her fingers on the surface, nodding. She pushed herself up, calling forth her Keyblade…and darted to the side. The Dark Reflection darted after her, more focused on her than the two boys currently on the ground. After they got enough distance, Aqua shifted into her stance.

The Reflection soon triggered the Spellweaver Style Command, but this time illusions of her showed up to throw their own attacks. Aqua rolled past them, guarding some, and expertly weaved through them. They fired their combo finisher shots, with Aqua throwing up a barrier to shield herself from the shots before they quickly disappeared.

Aqua though…she felt more focused. Lighter. She looked around for the dark reflection. _‘When I first met them…I thought they had to be protected,’_ she thought, thinking about the boys. _‘But, they surprised me by the strength of their hearts. Lea’s heart was incredibly strong, to even accept and overcome his doubts.’_

Aqua soon felt something- and three Phantom Aquas appeared, starting to pirouette around her, building up the magic above them. They’re going to use the finale of the style. Aqua stayed, surveying and waiting for the opening. _‘And Isa… He managed to overcome them too with Lea’s help,’_ she continued her thoughts, carefully looking around. _‘…But they’re right. Maybe I was afraid… I never got the chance to apologize to my friends on what happened. The circumstances happened, and I didn’t have the proof that he really did it or not. I doubted my own friends…and Terra…Terra was involved in our Master’s death.’_ Aqua soon noted the opening, and quickly leaped out of the formation, missing the Phantoms as they formed their finishing flourish with magic snowflakes formed over them. She rolled to carry momentum, back on her knees in a flash as she eyed the Phantom when the two others disappeared. _‘And Ven… he was afraid to face Vanitas…but he had to. Because Vanitas was going to fight and win… I was only able to beat him because of Mickey – and I had the strength to break the false X-Blade.’_

But now… Ventus is asleep and Terra…she didn’t know what happened to him.

Maybe it was her fault that they ended up like this, that…she may had fallen into something without even realizing it. Fallen into Xehanort’s trap.

Making a determined look, she stood up once more and casted Thundaga on the fake Aqua to create an opening. _‘Maybe I was afraid to face my friends – because I let them down when they needed me most.’_ She gave a yell as she darted in, landing a few strikes onto the Phantom Aqua- she erected a barrier to protect herself. Aqua saw that and stopped herself, knowing how strong the counter blast is, but narrowed her eyes. _‘I am afraid of what the Dark Realm was doing that was causing lasting damage to the Realm of Light…’_ Aqua shifted a bit, casting a Blizzaga spell to the barrier- but the intent behind it was to freeze the panels. She soon smashed through from with enough force, with the Phantom Aqua shocked at that. _‘I let myself be swallowed in my own objective…it was supposed to be_ our _dream. And yet I was the only one who was able to achieve it between the two of us. But…maybe because I thought I had nothing to worry about.’_

She yelled as she pulled the Keyblade back to finish her Reflection off. _‘Maybe there was merit to both this light and darkness needing each other…because if they do compliment each other...then maybe I have darkness of my own that started to sprout forth…when I started to have doubts…’_ She soon struck the Reflection down. _‘That must be what undone me. I thought I had no doubts to speak of…when in reality I did. Now…that hesitation I never thought I had…is what cost me my friends.’_

Phantom Aqua yelled as she disappeared into light. Aqua panted once she’s gone. She fell to her knees, her Keyblade being dismissed, and caught herself from completely falling to the ground.

“…I think she got her,” Lea spoke up after a moment, pushing himself up.

Isa sighed, relieved. They got through to her. “…Good. I don’t think I could handle someone like her.”

“Me too,” Lea admitted. “She could kick our tails to next Tuesday.”

Aqua looked at the two…and sighed with a smile. “…I wouldn’t want to fight me either,” she admitted, giving a small chuckle. Soon enough, a mirror manifested with them noticing. It has the designs of the three of them that had their reflections. Slowly, Aqua stood up and called the Keyblade back to her. She held it up over her head. “Heal,” she commanded. The Healing magic came from the weapon, covering the two with an aura of soft green and a wreath of flowers around them, healing them of their wounds.

Lea pushed himself up, eyes wide. “Whoa! That’s some magic!” He jabbered, jumping to his feet.

Isa looked at himself. “Huh. Guess there’s merit to magic,” he remarked before he got up.

After the two regained their composure after being exposed to it, the three approached the large mirror. Their reflections are soon on it. Aqua gave a soft sigh. “This whole time I’ve been down here, I let my own doubts cloud my judgement… Terra and Ven never had anything to say. Not because they were illusions…because, maybe the whole time, I was afraid to face them…because I was afraid of myself.” She shook her head. “That’s why my own shadow wanted to destroy me. I wasn’t being honest to myself at all…”

Lea looked at her, then at their reflection. “…Well, I guess everyone’s got something they don’t wanna face,” he spoke up. “Guess it takes a lot of guts to face yourself like that and accept the ‘bad’ parts of yourself you’re trying to suppress.”

Aqua looked to him. “And you got more guts than the three of us,” she remarked with him noticing.

A modest look crossed the boy’s face, with Lea scratching his cheek a bit. “Well…it’s not always like that,” he admitted. “Honestly, doing that kind of sucks. You know that, deep down, maybe it was right. The hardest part is admitting that it was right.”

Isa hummed. “That is true, it does kind of suck,” he agreed. He gave a smile. “But…you become stronger in accepting that part, right?”

Aqua nodded, looking at their reflection. “…Because if darkness really is a part of us, then we’d be holding ourselves back…” She reached out to touch the surface. “This is what someone I met meant. Because if we can get through the bad times…we can come out stronger from it if we can overcome it.” This…really challenged her beliefs. Rather, the belief their master pounded into their skulls during their training. She lowered her hand. “I guess Master Eraqus was wrong…or maybe…he never thought he would be taken by fear.” She looked at the mirror. “Then again…if someone like Master Xehanort,” she missed at how Lea perked at the name, continuing, “his own friend did this…then even he could be afraid to trust again.”

“…Master who?” Lea parroted-

Then the mirror shined with the three surprised…

…And the next thing they knew, they appeared in a new area for the boys, but a familiar location for Aqua. The ‘hub’ of the Mirror World. The three of them looked around, mostly surprised that they were taken there.

Aqua looked ahead, seeing the ‘entrance’ of the world ahead. “Oh, we’re taken back here,” she noted. Lea looked at her as Isa looked at the mirror ahead. “Then we can leave out through that mirror-”

“WAIT!” Lea shouted, making Isa and Aqua jump in surprise. The red head made a ‘T’ with his hands. “Timeout! Hold the phone! Before we do anything else, before I forget…!” He looked at Aqua. “You said Master ‘Xehanort’ back there,” Isa’s eyes went wide at the name. “He’s the master you mentioned earlier?”

Aqua looked confused at him. “Well, yes, but…” she rubbed her chin. “He disappeared after our fright at the Keyblade Graveyard.”

The two boys looked at each other in surprise. That…can’t be a coincidence, is it? They looked at her. “…Was…he a guy about your age?” Lea asked her. Aqua blinked.

“No. He’s an old man. Why?” She answered.

Now the two looked at each other, nonplussed. If the ‘Xehanort’ Aqua knew is an old man…then, who the hell is the man who tried to attack them back there? Just someone who happened to have the same name as the other Keyblade Master? But he had a Keyblade of his own. _‘Well, standing around bashing our heads wouldn’t get us answers,’_ Isa thought. He said he was going to trust her…they should at least give her something back for that trust. He looked at her. “That…was the name of the man who attacked Lea and I,” Isa told her. “He also has Keyblade.”

Aqua looked shocked. “What?” She exclaimed. “But…that can’t be right. The Xehanort I knew is-” She cut herself off, as a thought hit her. She thought about her friend, Terra, who was possessed. She paled. _‘No, it can’t be…’_ she thought.

“…Is what?” Lea asked her, the two confused at her reactions.

Aqua looked at the two, clenching her hands, She didn’t want to believe it, but…she stared at the two. “…The…Keyblade he has,” she began, before she asked, “What did it look like?”

The two glanced at each other. Lea scratched his head as Isa stared at her. “Well…it’s silver, looked wicked looking with an ‘eye’ at around the tip…and had a goat’s head in the hilt,” Lea answered.

Isa watched as Aqua’s eyes went wide. Whether in shock, or in horror, he didn’t know. “It can’t be…” she breathed out.

Isa noted it. “You know him, don’t you?” He asked her.

“Yes, but…to think…that was actually who had taken over Terra…” Aqua muttered.

Wait, what? Isa mulled over what he just heard. He stared at her. “You never mentioned his name before now. Xehanort’s,” Isa said. “Why didn’t’ you bring it up?”

“Because, I didn’t’ think that was possibility the same person we were referring to,” Aqua responded. “I thought…his action would have released Terra from his possessor, but…I was wrong.” She shook her head. “It did something else to him. Maybe made him lose his memories.” Aqua’s eyes soon went wide. Horror filled her, making her cover her mouth. “Oh no…this is…” she had to sit down, with her legs having become weak at the revelation with the boys startled. “What have I done…? Is the possessor really…?!”

“Hey, why are you…” it soon dawned on Lea and Isa. The reason she was freaking out. Lea was the first to recover. “Uh…Isa?”

“Yeah,” Isa confirmed. “Her friend is still possessed- he’s still in control of that man calling himself Xehanort. Then…that means he must have preyed on Aqua’s ignorance and naivete of the situation that led her down here.”

Lea looked surprised before he ran his fingers through his head. “Aw, you gotta be- so she’s pretty much trapped down here by the same guy who…uh, body-nabbed her friend?!” Lea exclaimed at the absurdity of the situation. How the hell could one’s body be stolen anyway? “The same guy who went crazy?”

Isa frowned, crossing his arms. “…I don’t think he really did go crazy. He acted like he knew what he was doing,” he muttered. “It…could be that he regained his memories and turned on the other apprentices for a reason. But what?”

The two of them looked at each other. They realized there’s still a lot they don’t know about. They need to know the full story of what happened. Even if it was a part of a bigger story. But it would be enough at least to have an idea of what’s going on. With that in mind…

The two looked at Aqua, who had been going through her breakdown. Isa sat down and shook her to get her attention. “Aqua…we need to know what exactly happened, after yours and Terra’s exam. We need to know what happened. It’s possible that…this could be connected. And we need to figure out what.”

Aqua stared at them, looked at the faces of the boys who had become unwittedly involved in this mess. She looked at her hands…before she clenched them. This isn’t the time to feel sorry about herself. What happened, happened, and she can’t change that. If this is her mistake…she would need to make it right, somehow. She nodded. “Of course. I owe you two that much.”

“All right, we’re listening,” Lea said as he sat down with Isa.

And so, Aqua began her long tale to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The parts where Lea and Isa thought Aqua of thinking of her friends as 'classmates' after the exam...one could make assumptions if they don't know a lot.
> 
> Yes, they do know that Aqua DOES cherish them, but, Aqua was emulating on what a master should be. And what she should do. (She is only 18 after all, still a kid technically). Funny of how fear one has can translate to how your students could later suffer. They all make mistakes, they're all human. 
> 
> Aqua acknowledges now that she may had unintentionally hurt her friends - she wanted to do good with them, but even good intentions can have bad consequences. Aqua is protective of Ven, but she can be condescending without realizing it (as most people can sometimes be). Kids, it's always important to communicate! It's what keeps relations alive and makes light of misunderstandings. 
> 
> Flaws is what makes a human, human. What happened here is the two pointing out to her her own mistakes - because sometimes we don't realize our own actions unless we're called out on it. You may never know how your actions could affect others until it's too late. Had Aqua continued the way she is, she may end up making herself hollow, leaving her vulnerable to what could happen. And yes, I know what happened to her in Kingdom Hearts 3 is the result of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness hitting her with that darkness, but it dragged forth her innermost feelings.
> 
> I know she's trying to be strong, but...she doesn't have to do it forever. Even she's fragile. 
> 
> But...you know what they say about dark pitfalls. They're only bottomless if you let it be bottomless. Yet, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, if you want it to be as well. For Aqua, she turned that bottomless pit into a dark tunnel with light at the end now. It's the first step, but...she'll be okay.
> 
> (As for why it wasn't pointed out earlier, certain things aren't relevant at the time. Hindsight is 20/20, eh?)


	5. Truths and Expositions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is caught up to speed. Lea and Isa's 'training' begins.
> 
> Yet Isa wonders on Xehanort's true goals, and the trio wonder on what truly happened to Ventus...

Lea and Isa had listened to Aqua’s long tale, with her pausing at times to let her throat recover while letting the two process what they were told.

She told them of the Mark of Mastery exam, performed to test if those who wielded the Keyblade are ready to become masters. An exam that Aqua had passed and Terra had failed due to his display of darkness. Of the Unversed threat, the monsters that appeared around the worlds, including Radiant Garden, that formed from the negative emotions of people. Of the worlds Aqua had visited, and the events she went through. Of how it seems she had been ‘cleaning up’ what her friends were doing. The ‘rumor’ of Terra doing something awful, that lead her to doubt him. Of meeting a little girl named Kairi, who has a lot of light, and another Keyblade wielder named Mickey who helped her, and her first encounter with a boy named ‘Vanitas’. The other worlds she visited, like a ship she had accidentally trespassed on, helping the people of the ship take care of the Unversed and meeting a particular alien who was influenced by Terra; a cheery castle town celebrating, with her helping out clear out the Unversed in a unique ‘soccer-like’ court; coliseum battles, with the two in awe of how she had handled not just a titan but also the god of the underworld; a misadventure in a land where boys never grew up, and having a treasure hunt with them…only to encounter Vanitas yet again. Visiting a small island where she met two children, Riku and Sora, where the fruit that inspired the idea behind the lucky charms she had made for herself and her friends…finding Mickey adrift in ‘space’, bringing him back to his master’s tower, only to hear about Eraqus’ demise in the hands of Xehanort and Terra from him. Of her heading to the Graveyard to confront Terra of that truth, him confirming it and of how Ventus looked solemn in him having to face Vanitas and asking them to end him if he had lost.

Of the intense fight that broke out between the three of them against Xehanort and Vanitas, Terra going for Xehanort, while Aqua and Ven dealt with Vanitas. Of how Ventus was frozen and carelessly dropped to the bottom, with Aqua catching him. Of a mysterious one-eyed man with arrowguns that attacked her – the two realizing that the man is another apprentice, Braig, and wondered why he was there and helping Xehanort apparently. Of how she was knocked out by Vanitas and then awakened by Mickey, the two forced to fight against the possessed Ventus with the fake X-Blade Xehanort had tried to create through Ventus and Vanitas. Of how Aqua managed to destroy the weapon but caused a chain reaction that sent her and Ventus flying out of the world and awakening in Yen Sid’s tower. Of how Ventus’ heart went to sleep as a result, but Terra had gone missing. Finally, of how she took Ventus to their homeworld, and sealed his body away within the newly constructed castle she created to hide him, while she went off to find Terra, who somehow appeared at Radiant Garden, only to find he had been possessed and fought against him.

“…It was a difficult battle. The two of us had fought, me trying to free Terra, while he was trying to kill me. Then it seemed like…Terra had gotten in control at the time. He turned the Keyblade on himself…and at that time, I thought he had released himself from the body. Then, he fell into a poll of darkness. I jumped in after him, using my Keyblade Glider and armor to get to him. But, with the two of us, we couldn’t get back to the opening, even when I put it to the max. We either become trapped in darkness, or one of us had to stay. I chose to sacrifice myself, sending my Keyblade and armor to the Realm of Light with Terra’s body, in hopes that he could be saved. And since then, I had wondered around in the darkness, looking for a way out.”

And with that, Aqua had finished her story. She leaned back, allowing the two to process the ‘end’, of how she got here…and most importantly, what happened to the friend they had met back then.

After a long while, Lea leaned forward. “…So that’s what happened to him,” he muttered, thinking about Ventus. “His heart fell asleep, and you hid his body to keep it safe.” Aqua grunted, nodding to confirm.

Isa mulled it over. It explains a lot. He and Lea heard the rumors of a man their leader had taken in. He was half dead, and with no memoires. To think this was the man who had his body stolen by an older Keyblade Master…and Ansem the Wise was, quite frankly, unaware of the identity of the man. This seems too…planned out.

He didn’t speak of it aloud, yet. It’s time to focus on the ‘now’, the ‘present’, than the past. “…Well, you told us. We should tell you a couple of things, though limited,” Isa began.

With what limited knowledge they had, they told Aqua of the rumors that started sometime in the year after she had ‘disappeared’. Of the cries heard around the lower castle people seem to be hearing. Of how Lea wanted to see the reason behind it, to satisfy his curiosity. Of meeting a girl with no memory or no name (with Lea remembering the sole feature of hers: black hair), that they had visited for a while, finding her within…what looks like a manufactory of sorts, and jail cells that looked to have nothing. Of how they visited her, giving her company in that bleak time…until, when they decide to break her free, she disappeared. Of how they returned, again and again, to find her, but there was no trace. Of how they decided to become apprentices themselves to Ansem, to find out what happened to her…and of how they heard about the ‘experiments’ being done, apparently with Ansem unaware of it. Of how he, Lea, and Ienzo were told that Ansem had gone mad and abandoned them…and a couple of days after, Xehanort had turned on the Apprentices, attacking them with the Keyblade, and could very well had killed the two as well, had Isa not tapped into a power to help them escape, leading them to be stranded in the Dark Realm.

Once they were finished, Aqua sat there, processing it. “…I see. Why would they do experiments on the Heartless?”

“Who knows?” Lea responded, shrugging. “We weren’t there for long, so we don’t know the full details. Only, that the apprentices were kind of taking it too far, and Ansem didn’t seem aware of it.”

“Right. But, now that we know, we know for a fact that we need to find a way out of this place, if we can,” Isa spoke up. “If there’s a way in, there’s a way out. But if what happened to these worlds are them still trapped in Darkness…then there’s something gathering them here.”

“So…you think the experiments Xehanort and the other guys were doing is related?” Lea asked him.

“Maybe. And I doubt that Ansem went ‘mad’ like they say,” Isa shook his head. “I think he may have known what they were doing, and they sent him off to keep him from interfering.”

Lea sighed, his arms over his knees. “He was such a nice guy too,” he said. “He looked intimidating when we first met him, but…I honestly couldn’t picture him as a crazy guy.”

And Isa could agree. He didn’t look like the type of person who would go mad for any reason. He is, well, was the ruler of their world after all. He worked hard to ensure their world would be a paradise. They couldn’t fault the man for being kind. Though. Isa leaned forward. “But, considering this is Xehanort we’re talking about…” He furrowed his brows at the thought, and of what his reflection had said about the effects the place could have on people, “Maybe he’s stuck in the darkness, like we are. Cast aside by the other apprentices.”

“Then…could we even find him down here?” Lea asked.

“I dunno,” Isa admitted. He leaned against his arm. “We came down here soon after he disappeared. We don’t know how long we’ve been down here. For all we know, he could have found a way out himself.”

“…Or he could still be down here,” Aqua interjected. “If there really is a way out, then we’ll have to find it. Through him…or through another entrance.” She looked at the two. “Meaning, you two should rest up, before we continue.”

“What about you?” He asked her. It’s a legit question, considering.

But Aqua noted the reason behind the question, at least. “Thanks for asking,” she said. “But I’ll be fine.” She assured them. “If anything, I’m more determined to get home and find a way to help Terra and Ven. And find a way to make up to them as a friend.”

“Well, you gotta rest up too,” Lea pointed out. “The three of us had just fought against our Phantoms. And while we’re not badasses like you are, you had been down here the longest. You deserve that rest. Got that memorized?”

Isa rolled his eyes at the phrase but didn’t disagree with him. “Yeah. Besides, Ven’s our friend too. We have our own stake in this,” Isa said. “The least you could do is help prepare us, so we can support you better.”

“What he said,” Lea nodded. “I may have fire magic, but I’m still an amateur. Isa can pull moves, but not only he had to do it at close range, he can be knocked back by long range attacks. We both suck but we can’t have you defend us all the time.” In that logic, they would just end up becoming dead weight to her and can get them all killed.

Aqua noticed it too, at least, before nodding. “Well then. I guess I should be doing my own job then, and helping you learn to fight,” she said. “I can at least teach you more proper forms, but the rest is up to you.” On how they want to fight, she didn’t say, but Isa understood it all the same.

So did Lea as well. The two smiled at each other. Then Lea perked. “Oh, right. Before I forget…I kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Aqua asked.

Lea moved his behind a bit, trying to not have it go to sleep. “Uh…well, I did tell you earlier that I got an odd dream, right?” He asked her. She nodded to confirm. He scratched his cheek. “I didn’t want to go into more detail back there but considering…I honestly don’t know what it is. I barely remember it, really. I remember some parts of it, though. Like, a platform and a voice.”

“You mentioned that earlier,” Isa recalled, before they got into the mirror world. Considering the time that passed…He tilted his head at his friend. “Do you think you could remember anything else?”

Lea hummed, thinking. To see if there’s anything else he could remember. “…Actually…yeah. Kind of. It’s…got my appearance on it. But…there looked to be some weird reflection of myself. Older, cooler…and wears a black coat. In the images around our heads, there’s you and Ven, Isa. The others are blank though.”

“Huh.” Isa looked at Aqua- noticing her intrigued. “What?”

“Oh. Sorry,” Aqua apologized. “But…from the sound of it…” she hummed, thinking. “A Station of Awakening…?

Isa blinked. “Huh?” He and Lea said together, lost.

“I thought it was strange that the Master’s Defender didn’t disappear in your hand, Lea,” she mused. But it didn’t answer their question, really. “I thought it was because we were nearby, but…could it be…?”

“…You know, being cryptic and mystical isn’t going to give us answers,” Lea bluntly stated. Aqua noted it.

“Right,” she responded, looking sheepish. She looked serious at them. “A Station of Awakening is like…a dive to one’s heart. Our ‘minds’ so to speak. Keyblade users has their own. Especially if they have potential. Other times, a Keyblade master can grant ‘inheritance’ to someone who they see as ‘worthy’. In time, they attain their own Keyblade.”

“…Wait. So…” Isa looked at Lea as he points at himself. “You’re saying I got potential?”

“So, it seems,” she responded. “Such potential is really rare, especially within children. Terra enacted a ceremony onto a child who lived at the islands I told you about earlier before I found Mickey. It wouldn’t be a surprise that Riku could use the Keyblade himself one day.”

And Lea, just…sat there. Unblinking for a little while. “…Huh,” he finally said, blinking once. Twice. “…What are the odds?” Isa raised his eyebrow. That’s all he had to say- oh, wait. Lea ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, if I knew that, I wouldn’t have to improvise back there to get through that room!” He threw his arms in the air. “I should have asked earlier!” Isa just watched as he fell back dramatically, the red head groaning. “I’m such an idiot…!”

“Are you going to be okay?” Aqua asked him.

“No. I’m mad at myself for not thinking of it,” Lea groaned.

Isa shook his head at him, smiling softly. Some parts of him are the same, at least. “Well, it’s not like you’d figure that could happen,” he said. He sobered a bit, on current events. “Then again, we didn’t think it was all connected until now.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lea conceded. He still laid on the ground though. “So…how exactly do these Keyblades work if I get one?” Isa looked back at Aqua to pay attention.

“Well, they act as magic conduits that can unlock mostly any lock,” she explained. “Experienced users can transform their Keyblades into different forms, depending on the Keyblade they use.”

Lea sat up next to him. “Like the gliders you mentioned and stuff?” He asked.

“Yes. Or even unique forms. Though, out of the three of us, I could only make Glider Forms of my Keyblade. Same as Ven. Terra, though, other than that, can manifest unique forms with his. From a whip, to a cannon…” She listed them off with her fingers, before looking back at the two. “To name a few.”

He and Lea sat there, wide eyed. “…That sounds, so cool,” Lea muttered.

“Yeah, it does,” Isa agreed, nodding.

“Though…” Lea leaned back a bit. “It’s nice and all, but just because I went through that ‘awakening’ stuff, probably doesn’t mean I would just magically have one appear.” Isa stared at him in surprise. That was…surprisingly realistic, coming from him. But, it also made sense.

“That’s true,” Aqua nodded. “The Keyblade often than not appears to when the user needs it. One needs a focus after all, and a purpose to use a power like that.”

“A focus and a purpose?” Isa parroted.

Aqua hummed, to think of how to best explain it. “In a sense…you could say that Keyblades are… a ‘weapon’ crafted from our hearts. But, as we learned, because it’s a power…”

It did not take a genius to know the rest, as Isa notes it. “It could be used for good or bad,” he finished. “It all depends on the person.”

“Exactly,” Aqua nodded. “Just as…darkness could be used for good or bad. Even the light can be used for good or bad as well.” Whether to try to eliminate darkness, becoming blind to everything else and only be seen as the bad guy to others, forgetting that emotion is necessary…

“So, uh…you were hesitant about it because you didn’t want to use darkness, right?” Lea spoke up. He tilted his head. “Not to worry. But, why?”

“Darkness can be charged by emotion. The most easily in fact. From rage, to hatred…”

“Well, if darkness is emotion, wouldn’t that imply that even love and happiness is affected?” Lea pointed out. “I mean, you can’t have those without hate and sadness.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Aqua looked up at the ‘sky’. “Some people focus more on the ‘negative’ than the ‘positive’.”

“True. But…I guess not everyone would be fond of it too much,” Isa mused.

“Because it can be like a hairline trigger,” Aqua said. “Because if our emotions jump unexpectedly, we could end up causing some…collateral damage.”

Lea hummed. “…Maybe the idea is to try to…control our emotions?” He suggested. “I mean, we can’t exactly control how we feel, but…we can control how we behave when we feel those, right?”

“Right. But keeping them bottled up isn’t healthy too,” Isa added, glancing at Aqua with a pointed look.

“Right, take a stab at me,” Aqua muttered before she sighed. “…But, you’re not wrong.”

Isa stood up. “I guess the idea here is to channel those emotions carefully, until you get a feel of it,” he said. “Let me try.”

“You sure?” Lea asked him.

“It’s not the same as the power I used a while back that helped us escape down here,” Isa said to him. “This is…different. But, just in case…” Isa soon approached a wooden crate, winding his arm. Lea and Aqua got near each other, just in case. Isa gave a sigh. He wiggled his fingers a bit, thinking of a certain emotion. Once he did, he yelled as he punched the box. Part of it cracked from the impact.

…And soon wiggled his hand. “Ow.”

“Huh. Nice one,” Lea remarked before he approached. “But…I think I got an idea.” He looked at his hand, making the flames appear around it. It doesn’t burn like actual fire, but that’s how magical fire is. He clenches his hand. And yelled as he struck the box himself, leaving scorch marks on it…

And Lea had his hands on his hips, looking pleased with himself. “Okay. I think we got something awesome here,” he said. “So, let’s get some combat practice then.” He jumped a bit to warm himself up.

Aqua smiled. “Well…all right, let’s get started,” she said to them.

“Oh, by the way,” Lea looked at Isa. “You never told me who showed you those moves.”

“Well, Aeleus taught me,” Isa answered. He shrugged. “Didn’t think I could pull that off.”

“Guess it was a spur of the moment,” Lea mused. And as if sensing what he was going to ask, Lea then said, “As for me, I found that book a while back…and I kind of challenged Ienzo that I could pull it off in a few days.” He scratched his head. “I only got the basics before this mess. Didn’t really pull those off until the mines when I was defending myself from that Heartless.”

Aqua looked surprised. “So, it WAS you who made the explosion,” she said.

“Yeah. Uh…not my greatest moments, really,” Lea said, shrugging. “I was firing at it wildly. The cave in only happened because it weakened the area around it.”

“…You really were lucky that you didn’t get killed,” Isa remarked.

“Yeah. But, I’ll live,” Lea said. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”

“Not the kind we say here, but, true,” Isa said.

Aqua nodded. “Let’s get started for real now.” She held out her hand. “I know a few martial arts. Terra and I were taught how to do hand to hand combat in case we were unable to summon our Keyblades somehow.”

“Oh.” That made sense actually.

Lea then made a determined look. “Well…here we go.”

“Yeah,” Isa agreed, just as determined.

They will find a way out of there.

_-_

Sometime had passed since the two began their…unorthodox training with Aqua. Time really doesn’t pass in the Realm of Darkness. It may as well have been weeks or months in the realm of light.

But, Isa supposes that the two did pretty well in their training. The three continued through the darkness, picking up anything along the way. The training was slow as they moved, but it’s at their own pace at least. Lea is surprisingly gifted in utilizing fire magic. He seems very determined to get better in utilizing it, to the point he could make small fire bullets with just his fingertips. However, he’s terrible with ice and water spells. The two of them had gotten quite agile at least, allowing them to at least avoid attacks from the Heartless that live in the dark realm. As for Isa himself, he made sure to cover his weak spots as he practiced marital arts with Aqua. She removed the armor she has as her shoes so she wouldn’t injure him TOO badly. He learned a few spells, but a couple of defensive ones were tricky. He isn’t exactly as gifted as Aqua and Lea, but he did manage to use a couple of them that’s good to handle elemental types – like the Fire and Water Cores. He did apply a, uh…creative twist to his attacks though. That should count for something.

Soon enough though, they soon entered a new area. It was mostly forested, with giant, thick stalks with thorns on them. Certainly not a… ‘cheery’ place, that’s for certain.

The two looked at Aqua. “So…anything you recognize about this place?” Lea is the first to ask.

Aqua looked around, eyes narrowed. “Yes…another familiar world. The Enchanted Dominion.”

“The place where you encountered that Maleficent lady?” At least Lea remembered that, Isa thought.

Aqua nodded to confirm. “Yes. But…” she looked up. “Something doesn’t feel…right.” She looked around. “As if…it’s been down here the longest.” Hm, strange.

Isa noted Lea thinking. “…hold the phone,” he muttered. He looked at Aqua. “You said that Maleficent knew about the Keyblade and Xehanort, right?” He turned to her. “Think she may have been the one responsible for making the world fall?”

Hm. That sounds like a logical conclusion. And yet…

“It doesn’t explain why this world, and the last two had fallen,” Isa pointed out. “Not unless someone had been making them fall. But for what reason?” That is the biggest question presented to them. The question is: why?

Lea scratched his head. “…Hm. Do the three worlds have something in common?” He queried.

Aqua hummed, thinking about it. As she does, Isa looked up as well, thinking to himself. Thinking back to a conversation he had with Aqua a while back.

…

_“Isa, can I talk to you for a few moments?” Aqua had asked him out of the blue._

_“Huh?” Isa blinked at her. They were resting after their training. Lea had already fallen asleep, with Isa and Aqua keeping watch. Isa had been about to turn in himself when she spoke to him. But he didn’t want to leave Lea alone right now._

_As if sensing it, Aqua assured him, “We can still talk here.” She sat down next to him._

_Isa glanced at Lea for a moment. He’s practically dead to the world at this point. He wouldn’t be bothered by their talk. He looked back at her. “Okay. About what?”_

_Aqua had her hands over her lap, mulling it over a bit. She looked at him. “I was thinking…I could bestow a Keyblade onto you,” she said, with him surprised._

_“Wait. Are you sure?” Isa asked her. “What makes you think I could wield it?”_

_“Hear me out,” she held up a hand to placate him. “…I want this to be your choice. At least to think about it for a while. You and Lea could at least protect yourselves better with weapons if Lea is able to summon his own one day. I know that you two had gotten good progress with your training, but…better to be safe than sorry.”_

_Isa raised an eyebrow at her. “So, you DO have some faith in our abilities,” he said._

_“Yes. But, I can’t help but worry,” Aqua admitted. “It’s just my instinct to protect my friends.”_

_“And you consider us as friends?” Isa asked her._

_“Don’t you?” Aqua asked him back._

_Isa mulled it over. “…Well, we’ve got to know each other overtime, while we’re done here,” he acknowledged. “It’s strange how fighting for your life can make you closer.”_

_“And your sense of humor is a bit…well, dark, but I get you,” Aqua conceded. She looked at their feet. “Joking aside, I did thought about bestowing one onto Sora, Riku’s friend…but, I didn’t want them to one day fight each other, like Terra and I did.”_

_Isa tilted his head at her. “So…why the change of heart?”_

_“The things you and Lea said, back at the Mirror world,” Aqua began, her arms over her knees. “You and Lea would know better on how to use your powers – as you’ve shown so far in our training. It wants me to at least give it a chance. If that made sense.”_

_Isa grunted, looking over at her. “…So, you’re giving me a choice – to either find my own strength, or to use the power.” He had his own arms over his knees. “Lea convinced me to have doubts, but…I haven’t given up my own goal. Subject X – who Xehanort might have been working on with Ansem…she must still exist somewhere.”_

_“Subject X…” Aqua parroted. She looked at him. “Is that the name of the girl you and Lea befriended?”_

_“Yes,” Isa confirmed. “That’s what Xehanort and the other apprentices called her, due to her own lack of memories.” He looked up at the ‘sky’. “If she’s still out there, somewhere…” He hummed. “…Though, I don’t know on who would know where she went or what happened to her. I can’t just go up to Xehanort and ask him about her, and we don’t know where Ansem the Wise is yet.”_

_“If we can find him, maybe he can help us more on what happened,” Aqua figured. “I need to know what happened while I was gone anyway, so things could work out if we can find a way out.”_

_“Right.” His gaze hardened. “The girl, Subject X…she was Xehanort’s lab rat. We were determined to save her, before she disappeared. Wherever she is, I’m determined to find her. Though…I doubt even she would want me to sacrifice everything to track her down. My sanity…my friendship with Lea. I would need to be realistic about it.”_

_Aqua hummed. “…You’ll probably find her, one day. It wouldn’t do anyone good to be obsessed into something.”_

_Isa nodded “I know.” To be determined to your goal is one thing…but, not to the point it consumes you entirely._

_“It is a good resolve, though,” Aqua said, him looking at her. “I hope you can find her, the both of you. But…please remember there are those who are willing to help you too. But you should also help them out too if they have a problem.”_

_Isa hummed. “…Right,” he nodded. What she said is true. He didn’t have to find her alone. But…he shouldn’t use others as well, for his own agenda. He looked to the ‘sky’. “I’ll think about it. If I had my answer, I’ll talk with you.”_

_Aqua looked at him, before nodding. “All right. Take your time with it.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_…_

Isa returned to the present. He had been thinking about it for a while. While it would do him good to have a Keyblade, he honestly didn’t think of himself as a good wielder. He has a good resolve, but…anything could happen. Someone could take advantage of it or shatter it. He glanced at Lea, thinking back to what his Phantom had said. _‘If I just saved myself, and left him behind…what would become of him? Would he just…be left alive yet become a puppet to Xehanort, to whatever he’s planned?’_

It’s not just Subject X who is his friend after all. And he knew Lea wouldn’t willingly leave him to die as well or leave the both of them behind in the dust. Not unless he didn’t have a choice. Either through circumstances beyond their control, like life…or by someone else’s machinations.

“Aha…” Aqua’s voice had his attention back to her. She had her fist in her hand. “The Castle of Dreams, the Dwarf Woodlands, and this world…Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora are the Princesses of Heart.”

“They’re…the seven females with hearts full of pure light, right?” Isa asked her.

“That’s right,” Aqua confirmed, nodding. “Do you remember the story I told you two, on our way here?”

“The Keyblade War?” Lea asked, turning to her.

“Yes. The battle between Keyblade Wielders to try to attain Kingdom Hearts…as they say, anyway. It occurred during the Age of Fairy Tales. No one truly knows what really happened, but many assumed that it was a war for power.”

“And when the hearts of children restored the worlds, the remaining Keyblade wielders decided to use the Keyblade to protect the worlds…” Isa continued, “While the X-Blade, that the Keyblades are based off of, were split into twenty fragments. Seven of light, thirteen of darkness.”

Aqua nodded. “I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that these three worlds would have fallen to darkness. Someone had taken them, leaving their worlds to fall for that purpose.”

“That still leaves four other worlds for them to investigate,” Lea spoke up, arms crossed. “Whoever is nabbing them anyways. If they had, our trek would have ended up being longer.”

“So, the question is: is it Xehanort who’s gathering them up, or someone else?” Isa addressed the elephant in the room.

“If it’s Xehanort, he could be doing that to restart the Keyblade War once more,” Aqua said. She shook her head with a sigh. “It seems like I only continued his ambitions without realizing it.”

“If it is him, why would he want to start the war again, if it was capable of destroying the world?” Lea questioned. That is a good point. Why would the old man attempt to start it again?

Aqua only shook her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But…for whatever reason, we need to hurry.” Their objective is clear: they need to escape and find out more.

The two of them nodded.

 _‘The seven princesses of light…and the thirteen darknesses…those two are needed to re-forge the X-Blade,’_ Isa thought, looking out. _‘What is his objective, in obtaining it…?’_

Isa looked forward- a familiar blonde-haired youth is seen, walking down the path. It may had been a year, but he still recognizes him.

“…Lea, Isa, do you two see that?” Aqua asked them, wary. It looks like he wasn’t the only one who saw something.

“See what?” Lea asked her as Isa looked at her.

“You’d need to clarify it a bit,” he added dryly.

“Right. Like, an illusion of someone?” Aqua amended.

Isa had his hands on his hips. “…I just saw Ventus,” he answered.

“Me too,” Lea answered as well.

Aqua looked to where Ventus is heading off, with him disappearing. “I just saw Terra AND Ven,” she told them.

“Do you think it means something?” Isa asked her.

“The darkness must be trying to tempt me again…but why would you two see Ven, though?” Aqua questioned.

“Maybe because we’re connected or something?” Lea suggested. “But, on the other hand, I don’t exactly see any way forward. So, follow the ‘ghosts’?”

“May as well,” Aqua consented. “Be on your guard you two.” The two nodded seriously.

Yet, they had only taken a few steps before vines emerged from the ground. The three stared up in surprise as they seemingly blocked the way. “…Yeah, I guess the Dark Realm is trying to keep us locked out.” Lea held up his hand, forming a flame on it. “Let’s burn our way forward.”

“Try not to go too ham on it,” Isa remarked. While using fire on a forest isn’t productive – and dangerous – it’s magical fire. It only burns if the user wants it to burn.

“I know, I know.” Lea then shifted the flame to form a small fireball over his finger. He held it out like a gun, and ‘shoots’ it at the vines. The impact had the vines retract. He looked at them. “Well, let’s move!”

The three soon navigated through the forest, the illusion of Ventus (and Terra for Aqua) as their guide. There were some Heartless that showed up, but the three of them together made quick work of them. There were also some vines covered in red, glowing bramble. They couldn’t afford to get close to it, so Lea shot at it to make them retreat back to progress forward.

As they walked, though, Isa hummed to himself. _‘The thirteen darknesses…that would mean either thirteen wielders of the Keyblade sided with darkness…or those associated with a Keyblade wielder like that. The odds would be heavily stacked against them if it came down to the light…’_ Yet, where would Xehanort even get something like that? He can’t just magically produce thirteen Keyblade users of darkness, could he?

…But…what if…?

An unease grew in Isa, thinking about it. _‘…If…he can’t find them…could he make his own…?’_ A thought came to him. And it unsettled him more. _‘What if…when he turned on the apprentices…was he trying to make them like him?’_ If he and Lea had stayed there…they would have ended up in the same fate as them…

He and Lea were incredibly lucky to escape that…but it would mean two other people may had suffered that fate…

“…sa? Isa!” Isa returned back to the present, seeing Lea’s concerned face. “You doing okay?”

Isa blinked slowly. “Oh. Sorry.” He looked away guiltily. “Just…thinking.”

Lea approached him, with Aqua watching on. “About what?”

Isa still felt uneasy. But…he had to say it. He looked at his friend. “…Lea. I think we may had dodged a bullet back there. When Xehanort tried to kill us.”

“With the Keyblade?” Lea asked him, nonplussed- his expression changed. As if he had just realized something. “…Huh. That right?”

“So…you figured it out?” Isa asked him.

“Well…yeah. But, how the heck could he turn us into the thirteen darknesses?” Lea asked, scratching his head.

“Who knows? But, anyone else could have had the same fate as the apprentices,” Isa said. “Xehanort probably played into their desires, tricking them with the lure of power and then…”

Lea rubbed his arm, looking uncomfortable. “…What do you think happened to them?” He asked. “Even and Ienzo were fading away when we last saw them.” They weren’t exactly close to them, having only known them for a few days, but…

Isa sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “There’s still so much we don’t know. The closer it seems we are to the ‘truth’, the more complex it’s getting.”

“I know,” Lea agreed. He made a face. “…But, it’s weird that Braig of all people would be helping that old man. Do you think he knew the entire time?”

Isa grunted. He had thought there was something…fishy about the man with the eye-patch. The fact he had antagonized Aqua at the Keyblade Graveyard to lure her away from Ventus…why would he willingly work with Xehanort, despite it all? “…Maybe,” he admitted. “I just wish we know a bit more about what’s happening. So far, we only know that the seven princesses are being searched for. Whoever is gathering them, we have no idea yet. Thinking about it won’t get us any closer.”

“Yeah. We should hurry. Those illusions might be leading the way to something important.” Lea paused. “…But, it could also lead us into a trap. So…yeah.”

He’s right about one thing. They need to be careful.

They continued on, navigating through the foliage; slashing and blasting away the vines to continue onward. But, they soon come upon a long, thick vine on the ground. It’s over a big gap. Though it looks thick…it would be dangerous to balance on it, and it would leave them open to attacks if they try to crawl onto it.

Aqua hummed at it as the two looked over at it. “…Well, how do we get across here?” Lea asked out loud.

Isa could only shrug. “…maybe this could be a good time…” he heard Aqua mutter. The two looked at her, blinking. She looked at Isa. “Isa, do you remember that trick I pulled when we were hurrying to the mines Lea was?”

Oh, Isa certainly remembered. He’s only surprised he hadn’t developed a fear of heights yet. “You mean where you slid on the ice you made? Yeah, I did recall that. It scared the absolute crap out of me.” He narrowed his eyes at her, suspicious. “Wait, why?”

“What I used is called ‘Flowmotion’,” she explained. “By utilizing magic, you could either slide on things like vines or rails…or bound off of walls for an air dash.” She nodded. “I can at least teach you how to slide on vines like you would rails. The magic can help you keep your balance.”

“Seriously?” Lea asked in surprise. Isa is surprised too. So that’s how she kept balance back there.

“Of course,” Aqua confirmed. “It could help out a lot for us to navigate the rest of the forest. But…running up walls is a bit of a different story. Considering the vines can move at any time, we’ll at least keep things simple with rail sliding.”

Isa hummed. “Good point. We’ll go with the basics for now.”

Aqua nodded. “All right. I’ll give you both a quick rundown of how it works.”

The way she explained it to them sounds simple. But, he’s sure the execution wouldn’t be so simple. Once they got the general idea of it, the two of them stared at the vine. They looked at each other. “Rock-paper-scissors?” Lea asked him.

“Really?” Isa asked him, bored.

“What?” Lea asked him. “So, it would be fair.”

Isa rolled his eyes. “Fine. Loser goes first.”

“Okay.” The two waved their fists. And Isa came out with paper, to Lea’s rock. They stood there. Lea looked at him. “Best two out of three?”

Isa went behind Lea and lightly shoved him. “You lost. You first.”

Lea pouted at him. He sighed. “Okay. Fine.” He approached it. “But, just so you know, I might die!” He regarded it for a moment. He sighed. “…okay, Lea, just…get it over with,” he muttered. He lightly stepped onto it. Focusing…a red aura covered him. His feet slightly hovered over it…and then he shot off down it. The sudden acceleration took him off guard, Lea flailing his arms a bit with yelps before he recovered.

“Just relax!” Aqua called out to him.

“Easy for you to say!” Lea yelped back at her, before he was far away.

Isa looked at her. “I think he made it over.”

“We should check on him,” Aqua suggested.

Isa nodded. He looked at the vine. He stepped onto it. He let the magic flow through him, feeling himself slightly hover over it. A light periwinkle aura, leaning more towards blue than purple, covered him. He leaned forward, ‘sliding’ forward. “Huh,” he muttered. This…this isn’t so bad. Not like the first time he experienced it. Soon enough, he’s at the other side, finding Lea on the ground. Isa soon got off of it, pacing towards him. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Lea answered, his voice muffled by the ground. “What’s worse is that I’m going to keep doing it again for a while…”

“Welcome to my world…” Isa mused. “Though, we’ll have to get used to it.”

Lea grunted, before he pushed himself up. He stood up as soon as Aqua joined them. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, dusting himself off.

Isa looked at him. He didn’t know why, but…he felt as if something was missing- oh yeah. He knows why now. “Right, it slipped my mind,” he muttered, digging into his pocket to pull out the scarf. “I meant to give this back to you, but…things happened.” He held it out to Lea, who looked surprised.

He takes it. “Oh yeah. I forgot about it,” he muttered, staring down at it. He lightly runs his thumb on it, humming. He looked at Isa. “Hey, could you help me out?”

“With what?” Isa blinked.

Lea carefully folds it up, before putting it to his arm. “I need you to tie this. I’ll hold it in place.”

Isa tied it up. “You’re not going to wear it around your neck?” He asked him.

“Nah. I don’t need anything to, uh…choke me,” Lea answered. His hand hovering around his neck. “I had to leave it behind to save myself.”

That explains why it was left abandoned back at that forest. It must have caught onto a branch, forcing Lea to untie it himself to escape. Thinking about it…it was probably a very terrifying situation to be in. The worst Isa had gone through was being chased by a mob of Heartless. He hadn’t been chased by a ‘stronger’ Heartless and harassed by loads of illusions. He had been around the safety of a Keyblade wielder, sticking by her for safety. That’s…all it was.

No wonder Lea looked like that when they found him…He had no one to protect him, to shield him from the horrors of this place. He had been alone, nearly went astray by illusions of the person he wanted to see, the person he missed. Nearly gotten killed, either by nearly being lead to his death or some other thing, and forced himself to not hope too much…

Guilt formed in Isa’s heart. He knew it wasn’t his fault but still…

Isa put a hand on Lea’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. We should have found you sooner,” he apologized.

“Huh?” Lea blinked at him. He connected the dots immediately, shaking his head. “It’s not your fault that happened. It was just by chance that we got separated. That’s all. If you want to blame something, blame that chance for it.”

Heh. So easy to put the blame onto a person for what happened, than the situation. Then again, some things are just…out of your control. Isa supposes that he could put the blame onto fate for what happened. Unfortunate though, that they have to give up their innocence…but, it is a small sacrifice.

It would be nice to go back to how things were…but they would never get it back. Can never be ignorant once more, of all of this.

Isa gave a mirthless chuckle. “I guess some places could make you grow. We both did.”

“Is it bad?” Lea asked him.

“I guess it depends on the experience mostly,” Isa shrugged. “Not all of them would be ‘good’, but we can’t get affected by the bad ones forever.” Like their own experience with a Keyblade user. They learned that it could be used for good or bad, depending upon the user.

Lea nodded. “Yeah.”

Hm. Aqua had gotten to them, did she? They looked around for her. She isn’t on the ‘ground’ with them…they looked up to see her holding onto one of the thick ‘stalks’, hand over her eyes, looking out. The two looked at each other, before looking back up at her. “Hey!” Lea called up to her. “What’s up?”

“Other than her?” Isa joked.

Lea blinked. Then it sank in, seeing his face falling then shifts into a look of boredom. He gave that look at Isa. “Oh, ha, ha,” Lea muttered dryly. “That joke is so old, man.”

Isa made a sheepish smile, shrugging. “I know.”

They heard movement above them, their heads shooting back up- but it was only Aqua descending down, landing gracefully before them. “So, you both didn’t see it?” She asked them.

“See what?” Lea asked her. Isa wanted to know what she meant too.

She turned and pointed, further ahead. “I saw something further ahead. It…looks like a ball of energy.” They looked out. Isa could make out something over the tree lines above. But he couldn’t see it well.

“…I could barely see it,” Lea said finally. “But…something tells me that isn’t good.”

“You may be right,” Aqua agreed. Even Isa could feel unease about it. Unanimously, without a word, they continued on, cautious. More vines are in the way. Aqua wordlessly summons her Keyblade to slash through them, like using a machete to carve a way through a jungle. Well, as the fiction goes. There aren’t any jungles around Radiant Garden.

Isa noted a contemplative look Lea is making as Aqua is ‘cutting’ away the vines. “…Hey, Aqua?” He began.

“Yes?” Aqua responded, pausing a bit to hear what Lea has to say.

“…You learned under a Keyblade Master, right?” Lea asked her. “When did you summon your Keyblade?”

Aqua looked at Lea, tilting her head at him. Isa was doing the same. Where was Lea going with this? She hummed, thinking. “…Well, it was mostly while under Eraqus’ tutelage,” she answered carefully. “A…rather ordinary approach. One day in training I managed to manifest it. It manifested for me while sparring with Terra when I was younger.”

“How old are you now though?” Lea asked her, intrigued.

“About 18,” Aqua answered. “I manifested it when I was 13 – about a year before I met Ven. The training was a bit rough, but I used my main talent with magic to manifest it.”

Huh. That’s interesting. Lea was rubbing his chin. “So…that’d make you about…three years older than us?” He asked. “Considering you were 18 out there. Isa’s 15 when we met Ven. I was just a few months away to 15 myself at the time.”

That’s right. Lea had been born around October, while he, himself, was born in May. October the 8th, and May 7th respectively. It was about two months before that time when they had met Ventus.

“Right,” Aqua nodded. “Though…” she looked uncertain, as she said, “I heard that children close to my age manifest the Keyblade when they are around 12 or even 10 years old. They were pretty young though…especially since the Keyblade War happened.”

…Isa felt as disturbed as Lea looked now at that new bit of information. “WHY would they want 10-year-olds involved in that mess? ?”

“It was a literal different era,” Aqua answered – still isn’t, exactly okay to do that though. “It happened over many years ago; possibly a thousand. But, based on what I read, some say it continued even before then and even the recorded existence of the Keyblade.”

“…And…all of that is from the so called ‘Age of Fairy Tales’?” Isa implored. It all seems…pretty absurd for them to be THAT young. Why bestow Keyblades onto children and force them to fight monsters? Then again, they probably thought of ‘darkness’ as the ‘enemy’ as well, not realizing that it was needed. Funny of how people of back then can be so…ignorant.

“That’s right,” Aqua nodded. “But I was still a child myself…” She made a soft grunt, before she looked discouraged. “Perhaps, I still am,” she amended, “There’s a lot of worlds I don’t know about, and I’ve only been going with Master Eraqus’ lessons, not with my own instincts or curiosities…”

Silence befell the three, as he took it all in. It…would have made more sense if they were given to older people, like those nearing adulthood. Then again, children are somewhat considered ‘pure’ to the world, until they saw the world for themselves. But what exactly makes one… ‘pure’? Innocence? That’s something one can’t hold onto forever, especially when they fight monsters. On the other hand, Keyblades are more connected to the heart. They still have their own identity forming, while adults would have their own ‘identity’ made, and not often could it change. It could be rarer for adults to manifest one themselves…

Still…

“…Well, ‘teens’ are technically still ‘kids’,” Isa said softly. So that Lea and Aqua could hear. “I think it’s natural to ‘follow’ what adults say, until you learn more about the world. Expand your horizons. I suppose that’s what ‘growing up’ is.”

Aqua hummed, considering the words. “Huh, and you call ME cheesy for saying stuff like that,” Lea said to Isa, arms crossed.

“Isn’t it the truth, though?” Isa pointed out. “We’re not as ignorant as we were before.” Lea grunted at that, hands on his hips.

“Yes, I can agree with you there,” Aqua responded. “Once you know something, you can’t exactly…forget it. Or rather, you can’t turn your back on it, forever. Once you know something, you can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

True. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. But there are times to willingly not ‘know’, and to willingly ‘know’. Speaking of ‘willingly know’…

“While we’re on the topic…” Isa began. “What gave you your drive, Aqua? That had you summon your Keyblade?”

Aqua hummed, remembering it. “…The drive to uphold the protection of the world,” she answered, “to help protect the realm of light from the darkness.” She looked at them. “It’s a romanticized view. I guess you could say since that view was before I became an apprentice. Back then, I also learned how to bake treats. Terra wouldn’t like them much.”

“Yeah, you did mention that before,” Isa had a hand to his hip, recalling that bit of info.

Aqua nodded, making a small smile. “Yeah. He never had a sweet tooth. But so long as it isn’t too sweet, he could still eat it.”

“Heh,” Lea hand his hands on his hips. “All the more reason to get some sea salt ice cream then! As soon as you had some, we’ll have him try that out himself.”

“I guess you really liked it, huh?” Aqua asked him, amused.

“Hell yeah!” Lea grinned. “That stuff’s awesome! It’s salty, but somehow sweet at the same time! I heard that even Ansem liked it.”

 _‘Isn’t he too old to have sweets?’_ Isa asked himself. Then again, who was he to talk? He had to admit, that ice cream flavor is good.

Aqua giggled. “That said, there’s some children who has remarkable aptitude to manifest the Keyblade quickly.”

“That right?” Lea asked her.

“Speaking of…” Isa looked at Lea. “Why are you asking her about it now?”

“Well…why not?” Lea asked back, shrugging. “Just in case something happens.” Well, true. “Besides, we’re getting to know Ven’s friends a little more.” He looked at Aqua. “Speaking of Ven, how old was he when he joined up with you?”

“12-years-old,” she answered. “Xehanort brought him to our world…although…” Aqua looked away, lost in thought.

“Twelve huh?” Lea muttered to Isa. “He’s practically a year older than us.”

“So, it seems,” Isa muttered back.

They looked back at Aqua. “So…what’s wrong?” Lea asked her. They waited for her to answer. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait that long.

“Sorry, it’s just…something about Vanitas didn’t seem right,” Aqua began. “He’s a being of pure darkness, and yet, how did he even take over Ventus? And even after we defeated him, Ven returned to normal…although asleep.”

Both of them hummed at that. That is a good point. How could Vanitas easily take over Ventus like that? “…Yeah, that is weird,” Lea finally spoke up, scratching his head. “And why would Ven need to face him to make the X-Blade anyway? It made it sound like he’s…” He trailed off.

Isa and Aqua looked at him when he paused. His face is flat. But his eyes…he’s mentally processing something. As if he’s fitting the missing pieces of a puzzle together. “…He’s what?” Isa asked him after a moment.

At first, Lea didn’t respond. But then…he looked up. “Holy crap.” He sounds as if he’s just…stunned.

“What?” Aqua asked him. “What is it?” Even Isa would like to know.

Lea looked at the two of them. “Call me crazy, but…if there’s a reason why Vanitas could take over Ventus like that…what if Vanitas is like…the ‘darker’ half of him?”

“Lea, wha-?”

“Think about it,” Lea cut him off, but he continued to explain as he paced, “If it’s true that Aurora’s heart was extracted…it may not have been Terra who did it. But someone else. Someone who was able to possess Terra, due to his knowledge of how to control hearts…maybe even extracting them, including his own.”

Isa furrowed his brows at that. It does sound…plausible. Aurora’s heart was ‘stolen’, and Maleficent claimed it was Terra who did it. But that would imply that it was stolen before he ‘did’. It was enough to have Aqua grow doubts about Terra, yet…this is too well planned. But, what is Lea implying-? Wait. Could it be…?

“…Are you implying…?” Aqua began, but…it sounds like she came to that realization herself.

“Yeah. That would mean Xehanort done the same to Ventus, but extracting darkness from his heart, to create Vanitas,” Lea explained.

And that way, it would allow the other ‘half’ to take over the ‘body’ he had originally came from.

Aqua, though, furrowed her brows. “But, if that were true, Ven wouldn’t have lasted that long. If darkness is a part of us, he could have suffered a lot of effects. To even survive that extraction, either his heart was extraordinarily strong…”

“Or someone saved him,” Isa figured, arms crossed.

“If so, who?” Lea questioned. “They had to be around that frame of time for someone to do that. Either someone with an equally strong heart…”

“…Or, even a newborn heart,” Aqua finished. “They would have to willingly be able to share their heart with him though.” That is true, but…wait.

As if on the same brainwave, Isa had a finger to his temple. “And…by that extension, if that person is who saved Ven…when his heart went to sleep and ‘drifted’ from his body, his heart would need a safe place to rest until it recovers. So, naturally, it would go to his savior, resting within them until it could wake up…”

“So, by following that logic…who would it be?” Lea asked. Now isn’t THAT the question of the day? This is somewhat absurd, really. But…parts of it made sense. If Ven hadn’t awakened at this time, his heart is still asleep within his savior, who is none the wiser to that fact. They could have been really young to not remember it now…depending on WHEN it happened, really.

Isa looked at Aqua. “You were there when Ventus arrived at your world. What day did he arrive?”

Aqua hummed in thought, remembering. “Ven was dropped off to the Land of Departure on the 4th of April. He was in better shape after getting a week to rest or…perhaps more. That means the event had to have happened a day beforehand. Ven could’ve disappeared on the 27th or the 28th of March- meaning, he had to have a week to recover just a bit before he can be moved.”

Hm. “So the newborn heart could have been born around the 27th or the 28th,” Isa proposed, scratching his chin lightly. “The child may have more than likely be around four years old at the time Ven’s heart went to sleep. And during the time we ‘fell’, they could be five.”

“Yeah, but…” Lea scratched his head. “There’s no telling how much time had passed here. What could be days could be weeks or even months to years. But…if we’re right, depending on the world where Ventus was brought to, the kid could still be a kid, or be our age.”

Well, Isa would have to concede to that. Although…

“You’re right,” Isa nodded. “But, the only way to know for sure is to find a way out of this place. Just standing around talking wouldn’t get much done. We’ll have to see it to believe it.”

“Yeah,” Lea nodded. “…Though, I got a comment.” He held up a finger. Once he got their attention…he lowered it, making a flat look. “Since when in the hell did we become detectives?”

Silence.

“…I mean. We’re not really that, but…just saying here,” Lea added as Isa and Aqua looked at each other.

“…Well, we may as well make that our profession once we get out of here,” Isa joked.

“I doubt that…” Aqua shook her head, “but, we do need to figure out what’s been going on after all.” She quirked a smile. “But…we could be a small, three people ‘investigation team’.”

“Yeah sure, we just need glasses to complete the look,” Lea joked. He then looked serious. “But, we should keep those in mind, you know.”

Isa nodded. “Agreed.” To their luck, it might be the truth. A possible explanation of why certain things happened the way it did.

Right now, though, escaping the realm of darkness takes priority. They shouldn’t let their guard down at any-

The ground shook under their feet. Yet, with each passing second, the quakes get stronger, to the point that they nearly fell over from the intensity. “Now what?” Lea yelped out in shock. An earth-shattering flinch worthy crack is heard- and Isa watched in terror at how the earth practically _splits_ between them. Between Aqua and himself and Lea. The two quickly latched onto a part of the earth as it splits upward. Isa looked up to see something black and massive emerge from the busted earth. The ‘hair’ moves about as if alive, and a ‘scarf’ around its lower mouth. Small wings are on its back, and it looks very muscular. “What the hell is that…?” Lea breathed out in horror.

Isa couldn’t answer. It’s a Heartless, and yet…they hadn’t encountered one so massive before. This is something he nor Lea had any experience with. They had experience with the _smaller_ variants. Can Aqua _beat_ this thing??

“Lea! Isa!” Speaking of her. Isa’s head looked sharply to the source, seeing her at the other side.

“Aqua!” Lea called out.

“Go on ahead! We’ll meet back up somehow!” Aqua ordered them.

“But-!” Isa began.

“Just do it!” She shouted- and vines blocked their vision of the fight.

“Well, that’s just _great,_ ” Lea muttered sarcastically. “So how are we supposed to get down?”

Isa looked around. It doesn’t look like they could climb down, with how it is. And other than the root, there’s no obvious foot holes. It would be nice for them to ‘slide’ down, but the earth they’re holding onto is slanted in such a way that…hmm. Actually, what if…?

Isa held out a hand, calling forth the blizzard magic. He shot it out, making a thin trail. Not like Aqua’s Blizzaga spell, but it’s better than nothing at least. “We’ll use Flowmotion to get down,” Isa said.

“Are you serious?” Lea asked him, incredulous. “We just learned how to do it not too long ago!”

Isa looked at him with a bored look. “You have any other idea?”

Lea stared at him…before he frowned, eyes squinted. “…I’m not gonna enjoy this, am I?”

“If you can live to complain,” Isa said to him, positioning himself just right. “You go first, then I’ll go.”

“You sure?” Lea asked him.

“This won’t last forever. I have to make another one for me to slide on,” Isa pointed out.

Lea rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay,” he said. “But be careful.” He also positioned himself just right. He judged the distance between himself and the ‘bridge’ Isa made…and jumps. The magic he had surrounding him earlier appeared, the moment he lands on it- and ‘slides’ down to the ground. As he does, the ice behind him disappeared. Once Lea is at a good distance away, Isa used another Blizzard spell to make his own bridge. He hopes the training paid off, he thought. He tensed his legs…and jumps.

And realizes that he would only barely make it. Quickly thinking, he grabs the ice with his hands, left hanging there. His eyes darted around. Would he even have the time to pull himself up? How long would it last until-? He looked down at his jacket. He swung his legs to hold him to the ice and freed a hand to quickly unzip his jacket. _‘Why would I even have a jacket like this?’_ he asked himself in frustration at how the zippers are placed. Once he got them off, he quickly used his body to pull the sleeve off. Once it’s off, he pulled the other sleeve up a bit to the wrist before he used his free hand to hold himself. He jiggled his arm a bit, having it further down and over his hand. Once it’s in his hand, he chucks it over the ice ‘rail’. He checked if he got a firm grip on his makeshift pulley, he unfurls his legs- and let gravity take him as he goes down it with his jacket.

It was only then he noticed Lea with his arms out to catch him. Once he got close…he lets go of the jacket.

And basically, plowed into his friend. The two tumbled on the ground, grunting at the impacts- before they stopped. He and Lea groaned as they laid there…and Isa noticed that he was on top of Lea. The two stared at each other in the eyes in surprise. A few moments later, Isa realized he was staring. He felt his cheeks heat up and scrambled off. “S-Sorry,” he apologized.

Lea groaned as he pushed himself up. “Man, you’re heavy,” he groaned. “But…jeez, you scared me back there when it looked like you wouldn’t make it.”

Isa huffed. “I improvised back there,” he muttered. Yet, he would agree. That was just…TOO close. “Still, thanks for the catch.”

“Sure,” Lea said, “But…what about your jacket?”

Isa looked down at himself. He is only left with a black shirt now. It’s surprising on how well the jacket had protected him – but not the arms and face. He sighed, pushing himself up. “Well-” He was caught off guard when something landed on him. On reflex, he threw it to the ground. It was only his jacket.

The two stared at it, then at each other. Neither of them said a word at what had just happened. Lea stood up as Isa bent down and held it up. It isn’t wet, since it’s magic ice, but… it held up well surprisingly. He puts it back on but making sure the jacket is open. Just in case.

This place is getting to them.

They looked over the uprooted earth that had separated them from Aqua. They both know she could probably handle a Heartless of that size, but…

They looked out to the forest of thorns. There could be more than one of those giant Heartless, and many others. Standing there, staring out at the forest, filled with dangerous monsters, and not having the sole person capable of destroying them completely…

This feels as if their true test starts. This, and the realization that they’re without a ‘guide’…they’re on their own.

The two looked at each other – sea green and green eyes staring at each other. An uncertainty fell over the two. Could they really…?

It was Isa who looked away. “…We’ll…have to go,” he said. He hoped it wasn’t shaky to Lea. “We have to go and meet up with Aqua, further up. To where that…thing we saw was.”

A hand touched his. He looked down in surprise, then at Lea. He’s looking at him, with his green eyes. Lea’s lips drew back a bit, shifting his eyes away. Thinking. He looked back at Isa, shifting his hand to hold them up. “Right. But…if it comes down to it,” Lea said softly, before he smiled. “I got your back…and you got mine. Right?”

Isa’s eyes went wide a little, taking in a small breath.

…Right. They still have each other.

Isa gave a small smile back, squeezing Lea’s hand. “Yeah.” The two looked back at the forest. “Let’s go, Lea.”

“Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, no one really knows the exact 'time' the Keyblade War occurred. For safety reasons, I'm going to put about...one thousand years, or so. For ordinary folks, that's ridiculous for how it works back then. But as Aqua said, it was a different 'time' and things changed.
> 
> To be honest, if there were a lot more, where are they at? Are there just a select few or...did something happen? We'll never know.
> 
> Once more, they're separated, but this time, Lea and Isa are on their own. Pray for their safety. I got this up to speed with my other one in Fanfiction.net, now I just gotta time it right to post them up later. We're about a few chapters away from the 'end' man. I can't wait to have you experience what I had put down for them later on.
> 
> To be honest, I'm surprised no one noted of how Lea and Isa acted as their own age so far. Also...in the timeline, consider this as what would lead up to Sora's adventure, with the 'end' of the Enchanted Dominion around the end points of Kingdom Hearts. So it's possible that, between Isa and Lea's fall in the dark realm up until that point, probably a couple of years had gone by until they were reunited, and a few more years went by as they made their way to the Dominion. The halfway point to the end of the area would probably be the start of Sora's journey, all the way to the first visit to Hollow Bastion and then the time it took to do some...last few things until the 'end'.
> 
> (PS. One lat thing...there was one other thing that made this 'branch' a canon divergent. Our resident chilly scientist has to start somewhere with his project after all... Heheheheh.)


	6. Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea finally summons his Keyblade and together came up with a new strategy. 
> 
> But at the 'end' of the forest, an odd clue is found, and a certain master got a confirmation of the whereabouts of three certain boys...

It’s odd, not having Aqua around. The two had been with her for a long while it…well, they can’t expect her to take care of them forever, right?

A while since they were separated, the two had went through the forest, side by side. Lea trusts Isa to watch is back, and Lea would do the same.

Earlier, Lea had used his climbing prowess to get a good gauge of where they had to go. What he saw was…ominous. The way further ahead has an orange and black giant orb in the ‘sky’. The sky itself seemingly red around there. Further off, he could make out what looks like a castle in the distance. With those observations, he climbed back down to inform Isa, as well as the general direction.

The castle and that orb is their destination. They just need to reach there.

The two are on guard. Even though Aqua isn’t with them, they could still be attacked. Whether by those giant Heartless or the small fry. Any of them could be threatening to a pair of boys armed with just magic and their wits. Any sane, normal person wouldn’t think they could survive for so long.

Unfortunately, their lives were far from normal now.

It wasn’t easy at first, Lea could admit. They felt as if there are eyes watching them from… _everywhere._ They had to keep moving, couldn’t let their guard down. There were some other Heartless that popped in – one of which they hadn’t seen before. It’s mostly spikey at the back but found that magic affects it. Yet the downside is that it can burrow itself underground and emerge when they least expect it. They were sure there would have been more Heartless, but so far, none of the ones with a strange ‘emblem’ appeared here at all. They told Aqua of the Heartless made by the apprentices, but…the ones that live down here. They seem to be…pure.

But the main issue is mostly those larger ones, similar to the one that separated them from Aqua. Hiding behind those stalks, watching them. They got their agility training to get over a few things, but most of the time they had to try to avoid the massive ones. Lea can’t count how many times they had a close call from them – a single punch from them could be the end of either of them or the two of them. It was either one or the other that saved their other from an early demise. They come out so unexpectedly, it was nearly terrifying. Well, it IS terrifying, really.

Though, the bright side to all of this is that they’re learning. Learning how to handle their enemies, and how to tackle them without Aqua. When it came to the bigger ones though…

The two had walked for what felt like hours, before Lea stopped. He looked at Isa. “Let’s take a break,” he said.

“Lea-”

“I know, I know,” Lea sighed, hands on his hips. “I know we gotta keep moving, but…at this rate, my socks are probably ruined. We should rest our feet a little bit, then continue.” He looked out. “We need to figure out what to do about the big guys anyway. Sooner or later, we’ll have to fight against one.”

He waited for Isa’s response. His consent. He and Isa knew the extent of their limits, with their training. How far they could walk until they had to stop. How much magic they had fired until they had to retreat to recharge. But…stubbornness is a different thing entirely. It can be good, but also not good. They need to be at full strength to even handle what could happen here. He had a feeling Isa knew this, deep down.

He heard Isa sigh behind him. “All right. Let’s rest.” Lea looked at him as Isa sat down on a nearby rock. The red head soon sat down himself with a groan. He hadn’t been lying about resting his feet. He pulled off his shoe to see how bad it is. The sock has a couple of holes on it. Lea sighed through his nose. When they get out, he’s getting a new pair of socks.

Lea regarded Isa. His jacket is open, exposing more of the black shirt that lies under it, the jacket itself having some patches of dirt on it. His left pants leg is torn, and the once white color of it is slowly turning a light brown due to dirt and grime. The ‘x’ shaped scar in-between his eyes, long healed but it would remain for a while.

Lea then looked at himself. His orange vest has some cuts on it, with his white sleeveless top having some spots from sweat and starting to turn a light brown as well. His khakis also have some patches of dirt, and cuts as well.

…Actually, scratch that, he thought. They both need new clothes. And maybe a bath. How long has it been since they bathed?

Lea puts his shoe back on, leaning forward with a huff through his nose. “Lea,” Isa spoke up.

“What?” Lea responded.

“…Suppose we run into one of the giant ones,” Isa began. Lea peered up at him, seeing him think, “what do you suppose we do?”

Lea’s lips quirked a bit. He leans back. “…I dunno,” he said. “We never actually fought it. Sure, we’ve been avoiding them, but…”

“I know. But…we may need to come up with a plan. Magic attacks may not cut it.” Lea couldn’t argue with that. They might run out of magic and end up as yesterday’s toast, even if they took turns. And the fact that one of their punches could spawn in smaller Heartless, and could fire orbs of darkness from that heart-shaped hole in their abdomen…even if they could climb the arms, they still have the orbs to worry about, and neither of them could afford to leave the other on the ground to take care of the small fry. They need something else. And Lea would feel a bit better if at least one of them has a weapon. Hm. Lea thought back to Aqua’s explanation about how folks could summon Keyblades. She made it sound like people had to learn to summon it before they could actually use it. He still couldn’t believe that the ‘era’ had young children involved. Almost like they were supposed to be child soldiers… made to face an enemy that couldn’t be killed…

Lea looked at his hand. _‘I guess you need to build up that ‘drive’ to use it,’_ he thought. _‘At least for people like Aqua. And those with a strong heart could manifest theirs quickly.’_

He hummed. “What is it?” Isa asked him.

“Well…just thinking about what Aqua said,” Lea said. “I went through that ‘Dive’ thing, and I hadn’t even thought about it. Never tried, actually. She made it sound like it’s… kind of hard to do so. But, considering the nature of it…”

“Are you thinking about calling forth your Keyblade?” Isa asked him.

“Well…I’d feel better if either of us got a weapon,” Lea confessed. “I know that we’re not exactly the ‘best’, and we didn’t have the training she did. But…you know. I accept that I might not summon it now.” Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if he manifested his as soon as they get out of the place. ...But it is worth a try. Maybe he could just imagine it. Lea smirked. "...I'll try it out though. If I can make it appear like a snap of the wrist or something…well that would be awesome."

Isa gave a look. "A bit of a fat chance of that happening."

Lea shrugged a little. "Worth a try."

He extends his arm…before a flicker of light and flames manifested with the two noticing with confused grunts.

"Did I just...?"

"No. But keep trying." Isa replied.

Lea flexed his hand. "Okay." Flexing his hand, he tried again creating a light with more flames but...nothing yet. Lea continued to try...as he built up the power within as flames began to extend out...and soon when he focused it...he manifested a weapon into his hand.

Lea stared down at it in shock. The hilt is black, with the guard around it made of metal. It's circular with the inside red. It has two circles attached to it on both ends attached to the hilt. Two irregular shaped spikes are on the sides of the lower circle, around the pommel, with the chain link being small circles attached to small spikes. The token is a small metal disc with a plus shaped handle. From the 'top' of the guard is a wild solid 'flame', with hues of oranges and red. The 'teeth' is three pointed spikes, red orange in color.

"...This... is happening." Lea breathed out in awe. He grinned. "This just happened-"

The Keyblade disappeared. Lea’s grin fell from his face.

"...Crap, I lost my focus." Lea muttered, arms slumping.

"...It looks like you need time to control it," Isa figured.

"Looks like it," Lea said. "No wonder Aqua had to train to manifest it."

Still, that was...something.

“…How was it?” Isa asked him. (And was it just Lea, or did he sound curious?)

Lea looked at him. “When I pulled it off?” He asked. Isa nodded. Lea hummed thinking. “…It felt like…it was awesome. But for that moment when I was trying to show you, it disappeared.” He scratched his head. “It’s like…looking left and right at the same time. Aqua must have had a lot of focus – to make it feel like second nature.”

Isa hummed, thinking. "...Well, we may not have a lot of time for you to utilize it properly. It would take a lot of focus to even maintain it. And anything could happen..."

Lea’s mouth quirked a little, looking at his hand. “Right. I just have to make sure that it’s there. It may not be solid, but… it’s still there.” He curled his fingers a bit, before he focused once more. This time, the Keyblade came out quicker. He curled his fingers around the hilt. He stared down at the Keyblade. Slowly, he moved his arm, as if it’s the most delicate piece of glass he had to ever handle. Now that he thought about it, it was like when he was practicing fire magic properly with Aqua back then. It took a lot of focus to make the spells happen. And a lot of focus to utilize it differently as well, other than fire walls, fire balls and such. Using fire magic became second nature to him. Hm…maybe he could try to apply that line of thinking for the Keyblade? If so…

He hummed. It’s a catalyst right? How well could it…?

With that idea in mind, he soon tried to focus…and it fired a fire ball from the tip. It shot off to hit a wall. Lea looked surprised. “Huh!” That actually worked? Well, duh. Of course, it would. He didn’t expect it to be charged up THAT fast. Humming, he continued to practice a bit, applying what he learned with his magic into the Keyblade, making fire walls, pillars…even concentrating it to make the really smaller ones. And that one took some time to make it more…concrete.

He noted Isa watching him, intently. Hm.

After a while, Lea held it up. He hummed at it. _‘I wonder why it’s like this?’_ He asked himself, staring at the guard. It looked like a part of a weapon that was changed to be a part of this. Even the token resembles a spiked weapon. Something told him that it wasn’t meant to have spikes though. Why is that? It’s round and flat…what are they called again? He recalled seeing an image of it once, in the castle’s library…it starts with a ‘c’.

…It can’t be his imagination…what are they? It looked to be rings, sure but…what kind of rings have bladed or spiked ridges like this? What are they called again…?

“Hey, Isa?”

“What?”

“What are those rings called again?” Lea asked, tilting it again as if it would give him an answer. “People use them for…long range attacks or something?”

“What, chakrams?” Isa queried.

Oh! So that’s what they’re called! “Yeah! That’s it!” Lea nodded.

“They’re meant for calvary to scare the army a bit, but…” Isa raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask that?”

“I asked because the rings on the Keyblade reminds me of them. I mean…” Lea looked over at it. “It’s kind of weird for it to have parts of chakram…” He frowned at it. _‘…Yet, why does it feel… ‘right’ to me?’_ He asked himself. Was he…meant to use a weapon similar to it? It would be like using his frisbees as a makeshift weapon back when he had his ‘fight’ with Ventus. He hummed, looking over at it.

He did a couple of practice swings with it, to get used to the weight. It was something basic. He just got it after all, so…he had time to figure it out later, right?

After a couple of swings, he nodded, stepping back. “All right…just need to have some practice.”

Isa stood up. “Well, it would be a bad idea to practice with the Heartless,” he said. “So, how about for now, focus on practicing and hitting the walls, while we’ll focus on physical combat and magic dealing with the Heartless.”

“I guess that can work,” Lea agreed as he lets the Keyblade hang behind him, his fingers around the guard. It would be suicidal to try it out on the Heartless if he didn’t have good control over it. Hmm…actually…

Isa nodded. “In the meantime, once you got a good handle on keeping focus-”

“Well, I had a thought,” Lea cut him off. “What if I keep the Keyblade out long enough to get a good handle on keeping it manifested long enough? That would be a good start, right?”

Isa gave a skeptical look. “I don’t know…”

“I know,” Lea had his hand on his hip, “It’ll make me a beacon to them.” They learned that when the Heartless was more preoccupied by Aqua than to go after the two. “But…at the very least, I could get a good feel for using it for later, when I gotta use it, right?”

It was a good logic. He could at the very least learn how to get a handle on the weapon he just attained.

Isa, though, didn’t look convinced. Not that Lea could blame him.

“…But, I’ll make sure not to go over my head,” Lea promised, lowering his arm holding the Keyblade. “I mean…I know better at this point.”

Isa’s face shifted a bit, before he nodded. “I know. But, I can’t help but worry.”

Lea nodded. “We’ll just have to find a good place to hide first with us able to escape. I mean…” He shrugged with one arm. “Well, that ball isn’t going anywhere, is it?”

“No,” Isa shook his head.

“Right.” Lea straightened himself a bit. “So…I guess we’re well rested. Shall we get going?”

Isa smirked, chuckling. “Being formal is SO not you.”

“Hey, I can try,” Lea responded with a smile.

“You’re no master yet,” Isa looked at him, “Just be ready.”

Lea nodded. “Gotcha.” He looked out. _‘He’s right though. But, could we be ready to take on one of those big guys on our own?’_ Considering what they experienced so far, they would need to be careful. For now, though, he would have to use it as a makeshift machete to get through. Better than wasting energy using fireballs, at least.

_-_

It was a long while later that the duo got into trouble.

Though their trip in the ‘forest’, Lea slowly and surely got used to having the weapon in his hand. It was…an odd weight. Not as heavy as Aqua’s, but it isn’t exactly light as well. He did get used to it, though. And as he did, the two’s coordination improved as well. Sometimes, when they ran into Heartless, Lea would use his speed to have their attention on him, while Isa hits them with magic. They also applied a tactic that worked, for now, for the two of them. Lea would pass off his Keyblade for Isa to strike at them, before he passes it back to Lea, applying magic to cover their weaknesses.

Honestly, it was an accident the two came upon the tactic, at first. Lea was worried that Isa would be left defenseless while he goes off being the ‘beacon’, and though he knew Isa could handle himself, well…what’s a friend to do BUT to worry? So, he insisted to Isa to at least borrow it for a while, despite the blue haired male’s protests. Lea knows that it would have their attention onto Isa instead, but Lea could provide backup to him with his fire magic. Isa was reluctant, but he took it.

It started off…well, shaky is the best word for it. Isa had some time to get used to the weapon, but how it handles threw him off somewhat. Lea nearly had a panic attack when the Heartless attacked. Lea made sure that they wouldn’t be on Isa’s back as his friend defends himself. But they were nearly overwhelmed before Isa passed it back onto Lea. They changed it around at the last minute, the two coordinating and defending themselves from the Heartless. Lea noted one about to attack Isa and passed it to him, allowing Isa to take it out quickly. Once the danger has passed, they processed what just happened. They then experimented with it a little more. Though dangerous, as it could leave either of them wide open to attacks, but they found that so long as the other could cover for them, they could get through it. They knew their strengths and weaknesses by now from their training. But they knew they could do SO much better.

It wouldn’t be for a while later as they entered a new area.

“So, we got the hang of the relay tactic we got down?” Lea asked him.

“Yeah, but you could use some work on that throwing arm of yours,” Isa answered.

Lea looked over at his arm. “You think so?”

“Well, yeah,” Isa nodded. “What if I was far enough away and I couldn’t catch it?”

“Well this thing isn’t exactly ‘light’,” Lea pointed out to him.

“I know, but still,” Isa nodded – oh, he knows so well. “Though,” his face shifted a bit. “…I’m surprised that your Keyblade didn’t leave me during those times. It…probably knew how much you trust me.”

“Of course, I do,” Lea responded, like it was obvious. “I trusted you since we first met, when we were little kids.”

Isa noted it, before he smiled. “Yeah,” he said softly. “But you’ve grown a bit since those days. You don’t cry as much.”

“Hey,” Lea playfully glared at him, “I gotta keep some pride, right?” His face then shifted, before looking forward. “Though…there were moments where pride didn’t matter much.” He thought back to his experiences so far. “I know Aqua had to keep herself together in this place, but…holding it in isn’t healthy. It’s okay to cry at times.”

“Yeah,” Isa agreed. “We’ve been walking for a while. Are we any closer to what you saw?”

“I dunno yet,” Lea admitted. He looked up. “I may have to climb again to see if we’re any closer to that…” he trailed off, his eyes widening.

Isa looked at him when he trailed off but looked surprised at his expression. “What’s wrong?” He asked, worried.

“…That…doesn’t look… ‘normal’,” Lea answered, pointing.

Isa looked up…and his own eyes widened as he saw why. “Oh…”

It was the ball that they had seen earlier, and what Lea had saw as their ‘source’ of direction. Yet…did it get…bigger? How could it? How come they didn’t notice it?

“Why did it grow lager?” Isa questioned.

“I-I don’t know! Something’s going on there.”

The ground suddenly shook under them, with the two noticing. They looked at the ground. Then at each other. They quickly ran forward- just as the ground bursts with the two yelling as the force had them off the ground. They rolled in the air and on the ground, rolling to their feet. Any other time, Lea would be ecstatic to have nailed his landing…but, this isn’t the time. The two quickly looked back as a large, Humanoid Heartless emerged from the pit it had created. It was one of the monsters that Aqua had to face alone, and they saw during their trek so far.

“…You have GOT to be kidding me…” Lea muttered at their luck.

“We just had to invoke it,” Isa muttered. They quickly stood up, with Lea having the Keyblade out.

“So…what now?” Lea asked him. “Bail, or fight?”

“We’ll have to most likely fight,” Isa answered.

Lea looked back behind him. It’s likely that their escape route would be blocked soon, so they can’t exactly run. He glared back at the giant Heartless. “Well, all right then,” he gestured his head to Isa. “Got my back?”

“So long as you have mine,” Isa responded.

Lea nodded. He looked over at the massive thing. It didn’t look like he could just mindlessly bash parts of the body. Maybe the most vulnerable…? The head is a likely weakness, but it may not just be that. He regarded the large hands. Hm…would the hands also be a weakness?

“…Okay, let’s try and go for the hands,” Lea said. “Easier to reach at least.”

“The hands?” Isa blinked.

“Well, hands are the most useful took anyone could have,” Lea stated. “Lose your hands, you can’t do much, right?”

Isa hummed. “Morbid, but true enough. We would need to watch for its movements though.”

“So, watch the hands, and then go for the head if we can reach it then,” Lea summarized.

“Yeah,” Isa nodded.

“Got it,” Lea nodded back. “Watch for the small ones it would spawn when it punches the ground.”

“Understood,” Isa responded. “Watch for the ‘dark orbs’ it would fire from that hole.”

With their objective clear, the two soon split off to get to work. Lea was first as he was near the hands to try to beat it down with flames. The giant Heartless’ hand soon started to rear back, swinging its arm to knock the boy away before winding up a punch. A dark energy coats the hand. When Lea recovered, he recognizes the movement. He ran over to the wall and climbed a bit. He trusts Isa to also be able to escape from the shockwave when it hits the ground. Lea looked back to see his friend had done the same, managing to dodge the ‘wave’ when it punched the ground. Lea kicked off the wall as the Shadows emerged from the pool of darkness it made.

Isa narrowed his eyes before noticing the moment. “Pass the Keyblade!” He called out to Lea.

“It’ll clip that thing’s head!” Lea pointed out.

“I know!” Isa answered.

“Ugh, fine!” Lea groaned before he threw the Keyblade to Isa. As it spun in the air, it cuts through the head of the taller Heartless. Isa timed it right to catch it, turning the blade onto the Shadows as they had their attention on him now. He cuts through a couple of the Heartless, slashing them to destroy them. As Isa focused on the Shadows, Lea concentrated to have rings of fire around his wrists. He fired a couple of fireballs at the head before he lithely dodged some attacks from the Shadows. He landed a punch onto one of the, utilizing his agility while he also clips the larger Heartless’ hand.

After Isa cuts down enough, he notes the giant Heartless moving its hand from the ground, the pool of darkness disappearing. He destroyed the last of them around him before he winds his arm back. “Going back to you!” He shouted before hurling the Keyblade back to Lea. It cleaves through several of them, destroying them, before Lea soon catches it and sliced through a Shadow. Isa soon quickly backed off a bit, Lea focusing on getting rid of the stragglers as Isa watched for more of its movements. _‘It’s body is larger, so it would most likely be sluggish,’_ he thought. But it doesn’t make it less dangerous. Especially if you can be slugged by that size. And neither of them would want to find out how hard it could hit a person.

Soon enough, it got onto its knees…but, it placed its hand onto the ground. They hadn’t seen this one before.

“Lea! It’s going to do something!” Isa called out to warn him, with Lea noticing. Lea noticed the arm and quickly jumped and climbed it, while Isa got ready- just as it plunges its other arm into the ground. It sent out a shockwave, with Isa just _barely_ erecting a barrier to protect himself.

“Wh-Whoa!” Lea yelped out, his hand nearly slipping had he not used the Keyblade to keep him up. He soon noticed that it began to rise. He quickly jumped off and got some distance, as it has something in its hand now. A ball of darkness. “What’s it doing…?” It began to gather power into it.

“Don’t know,” Isa responded. “But be on guard.”

Once the darkness is fully formed it rose up- and unleashed it into the sky.

…And falling around them like snow, are sizable spores of darkness. The two noted it, the two weaving through the spores- instinct says to better avoid them.

“Guess it has more ways to keep us away from it,” Lea sneered, dodging and weaving through them. He soon shot fire balls towards the hands to deal additional damage.

The least they could do is deal damage, Isa thought, unleashing his own spells at the head. On the plus side, the tactics and attacks ARE working…it’s starting to wear down. “Don’t let your guard down!” Isa called out.

“I know!” Lea responded, before it got onto its knees- but charging up dark energy in its ‘hole’. They both know what that attack is. “Isa! Dark balls!”

Isa looked around before noticing a barrel. He broke it apart, picking up a part of it big enough to use. “Bat them back!” Isa ordered as it released the attacks. But, timing it right, the two used their weapons (makeshift in Isa’s case) to bat them back.

It looked almost worn down now.

Lea could scarcely believe it. Is it almost dead? _‘Can’t get cocky, can’t get cocky,’_ Lea chanted to himself.

Isa narrowed his eyes before having an idea. “Lea!” He got his attention, before he waved the plank he had. Lea noted it.

“Ah…!” Lea shot a fire spell to have a part of it light up on fire. The two got themselves ready before charging in. It soon reared its fist up to try and slam the ground before the two got up the walls…and the two timed it right to leap off with yells- and cleaved through the head of the beast. Isa’s ‘weapon’ shattered on impact. The two landed on the ground.

…Yet, that strike was all it took. The Heartless didn’t appear, with it staggering…before it began to lean back and dissolve into darkness…

The two stood at their places for a few moments…before Lea stood up straight and bent down, panting as Isa fell onto his butt, him the same. The two boys panted, regaining their breathes. They looked back, to see it gone. They looked at each other in surprise…before Lea began to laugh. He hurried over to Isa, helping him up- before glomping him, with Isa surprised. “We did it!”

Isa looked startled- but then he grinned himself. “Yeah. We…I can’t believe it…!”

Lea drew back, grin still in place. “That was a hell of a teamwork!” He praised.

Isa had a modest smile. “Yeah, well…we still got room for improvement.”

“I know, but we managed to take down one of them!” Lea said, laughing…before it soon trailed off, looking away. “…But, I don’t wanna do that again.”

“That, I can agree with,” Isa nodded.

“Phew!” Lea huffed out. “We should take five. Hopefully, nothing pops out.”

“You might end up jinxing us,” Isa pointed out.

“I know, I know,” Lea said, before the two sat down, backs against each other.

Lea dismissed the weapon as Isa nodded. “We did well, considering.”

“Yeah,” Lea nodded to agree. He hummed, thinking about their ‘master’. “I wonder if Aqua’s doing all right.”

“We both know she can handle herself,” Isa said. “But, we should regroup with her soon enough.”

“Yeah,” Lea nodded.

Isa looked up. “The relay tactic may not work forever, though.”

Lea sighed. “Yeah…it may fail on us eventually.” He leaned back a little. “We’ll need to think of something. ‘Cause…I dunno. I feel like it’s not gonna be any easier later on.”

“Agreed,” Isa nodded.

The two looked back up, at the large ball they spotted. It could be like the ‘sun’ in a twisted sort of way. “…What do you think is going on?” Lea asked.

“I don’t know,” Isa admitted. “But, whatever it is…it might not be good.” He grunted. “We might not have a choice _but_ to go where it is.”

Lea sighed. “I was afraid of that. To our luck, it could be where Aqua is heading.” The two soon stood up, and quickly took off.

_-_

After running, jumping and sliding through the forest, they soon ended up in a new area…but they had to stop themselves. Both of their eyes were wide in horror at what they saw before them. There is at least a dozen of the monsters, dubbed ‘Darkside’ – perhaps more as they were lifting darkness towards that ‘sun’ they saw earlier.

“…THAT’S the ‘sun’ we saw!” Lea exclaimed in shock. “It’s gathering darkness!”

“I suppose even the darkness of the world can be congregated if it’s afraid of being harvested,” Isa breathed out. Because, from how they had the darkness, and that ‘sun’, they’re harvesting it to make it. But…for what though?

The two perked when they heard sounds of combat as one of them was being attacked.

“What was that?” Lea asked, looking to where the source could be.

“Do you think it may have been Aqua?” Isa asked him.

“It might be, but how do we get through _this?”_ Lea gestured to the Darkside army around them.

Isa looked over at them. “…Rush in and dodge whatever spore comes,” he answered.

“Like we got a choice!” Lea shook his head, but the two darted forth. The two weaved through the spores – spikier and more yellow than the previous ones – sometimes sliding or rolling out of the way. The two noted an array of ‘lights’ coming from the sphere above with the two just narrowly dodging one of them. “What’s that!?”

“Light, from the darkness?” Isa muttered.

“This is crazy!” Lea exclaimed, but they kept moving. They soon reached their destination, with Aqua fighting against one that’s standing beneath the orb of darkness. The two stopped, immediately taking stock of the situation. There’s a lot more now, but none of them are attacking for some reason. They looked back up, as Aqua just landed. “Aqua!” Lea called out.

Aqua looked back at them in surprise. “Lea, Isa!”

Lea dug into his pocket and tossed a potion to heal Aqua. “We’ll help you beat this thing at least,” he said. “You can chastise us later for jumping in when these guys are toast!”

“I’m more relieved to see you two all right, but good point,” Aqua said as the two boys got to her sides.

Lea nodded. “By the by, I manage to pull something off myself that I got myself trained up for.” He held up his hand, manifesting a light with flames- and formed his Keyblade.

Aqua looked surprised at it. “A Keyblade…you did it?”

“You weren’t kidding about it being difficult to summon and maintain,” Lea said to her, “but at this point we’ll give you the opening you need to take these things down.”

“Any idea what though?” Isa asked the big question.

Aqua looked at the ‘sun’. “…I got one. But we would need to take out the ‘support’.” She gestured to the Darkside before them.

The two nodded. “We’ll back you out,” Isa said.

They soon darted off, with Isa flanking it. Aqua took point as Lea shot flames to hit its head. As he did, Isa unleashed some blizzard and thunder spells himself to help out.

It’s like fighting a regular old Darkside, but…with minor differences.

“Hey, it’s just like fighting any other Darkside,” Lea began to Aqua. “What exactly IS that light show earlier about?”

“The Darksides are releasing Darkness into that sphere above,” she explained. “They’re harvesting fragments of the world to feed into the sphere and it seems to unleash light attacks.”

“So, what happens if we left that alone?” Lea asked her.

“I don’t know,” she responded, before making a determined look, “but I’d rather not find out.”

“So, we gotta destroy it then?”

“We would have to.”

“Then we better take them down, and quickly,” Isa reported as the Darksides were gathering darkness. “They’re starting to bring more power to the sphere.”

“Right,” Aqua muttered. “Let’s go you two.”

The two looked back as more of the spores fell around the Darkside. The three weaved through the attack, prior experience helping them out with it. Lea unleashed several more fireballs at its head before he reared his arm back. “Isa!” He called out, throwing the Keyblade to him. It hits the Darkside’s head, with Isa catching it. He unleashed his own attacks at it, from Fire, Thunder to Blizzard. As he attacked, Lea ran around, forming three fire orbs before launching them outwards.

Isa hits the hand a few times, jumping back. “Lea!” He hollered as he threw the Keyblade back to Lea. It hits the hand near the red head, who jumped and caught it in mid-air. He rolled on the ground and sent out a fire ball from the tip.

Aqua noted this odd tactic. _‘Are they…sharing the Keyblade?’_ she asked herself. Well, they’re doing what damage they could, at least. The two used magic as they could to try to deal damage against the target. _‘Well, I can’t let them do all the work,’_ she thought. It’s almost dead – thanks to the Scan ability. If they hit it a few more times…

An idea came to her. “You two! Get back!” She ordered.

They looked back, but they jumped back without question. Aqua narrowed her eyes- and everything slowed to a crawl. Reticles that only she could see appeared on its head. She waited until it hits 28…

Once it did, she jumped in the air to unleash her attack. She floats in the air, holding her Keyblade out. The tip glowed as she gathered power- and unleashed several orbs of light, reflecting the colors of the rainbow. They all shot off to hit its head. She gathered more, before timing it right to unleash several more. The blasts were slow but consistent pace, hitting their target…until the Darkside started to slump backwards and dissolve. Aqua landed back onto the ground, nodding to herself. She prepares her weapon- and jumped. With a yell, she slashed through the orb, before landing on the ground.

The two boys got to her- but before they could say a word, the area shook. They looked around before up at the sphere. Something is…happening to it.

It looked to try and draw in something as the Darksides around them started to dissolve and went into the sphere. The trio got themselves grounded, as they felt themselves drawn in. “What’s going on?!” Lea shouted.

“It’s about to implode!” Isa answered. It drew in more and more, including the dust around them. Aqua began to lose her footing- but a pair of arms wrapped around her. The two boys used their weight to keep them grounded, the three of them groaning. The sphere soon floated up into the air, shrinking upon itself- before it sent out an explosion. The shockwave obliterated the Darksides around them, the sky no longer red. It and the army dissolved into darkness.

The three of them panted…as Lea began, “…WELL! …Whew!” He wiped his brow. “That was…that was something.” He three of them soon recovered, slowly. “What was up with that anyways?”

“I dunno,” Aqua shook her head.

Lea looked at her. “You…okay. I don’t care if you’re good. As soon…as soon as we get out of here…” He points at her. “You’re taking a well-deserved vacation.”

Isa nodded. “Yeah. What he said.”

“If Isa agrees, that’s serious,” Lea said, gesturing to his friend.

Aqua looked surprised…but, they aren’t wrong. She gave a soft smile, nodding “Agreed.” She looked ahead. “Still though… I think I see something familiar.”

The two noted it before they looked in the same direction.

For Aqua, she can see the illusions of Ven and Terra, but…

Lea blinked. “Huh? Who’s the other guy?”

Aqua looked at him in surprise. “Wait…you…” she looked at Terra, then at him. “You can see him?”

“The brown-haired guy? Yeah,” Lea nodded.

“So that’s Terra?” Isa asked, tilting his head. The two looked at him. He nodded to confirm their silent question. “Yeah. I can see him too.”

“What could this mean…?” Aqua asked, looking at the two.

The two boys looked over at the castle in the distance. “So, who’s castle is that?” Lea asked.

Aqua looked to it. “That’s Maleficent’s castle. We’re at the Forbidden Mountains.”

“I see…” Isa mused.

“So…out of the woods and into the mountains, huh?” Lea muttered before he dismissed his Keyblade. “Let’s see what they have to say, if anything.”

Aqua nodded.

The three approached the two. As they got close, though…they look…solid?

“…Terra? Ven?” Aqua called out to them.

‘Terra’ perked, before he looked at them. “Aqua? You’re-?”

They looked surprised, the two blue haired people looking at each other as Lea looked to Ventus. Aqua looked back at the man. “Terra…you spoke?” She asked him, with Terra surprised.

“You…can see me?” He asked her.

“Of course!” She nodded. She looked at Ven as Lea went over to him, to look over at the boy. “I see Ven too.”

Lea waved his hand before Ven’s face, but…he didn’t respond. Terra looked surprised before he looked around. “Ven? He’s here?”

Isa gave a wary look before he approached Lea, leaving the two to talk. Lea looked at him. “…Psst! What’s going on?” Lea muttered.

“I think it might be an illusion formed from their ‘heart’s, if I can describe it…” Isa muttered.

“Should we interfere or something?” Lea whispered. Isa gave a helpless shrug. Lea looked back at Ventus. Is he real? Or…? Lea reached out, before he tapped Ventus-

It was an instant. The colors are inverted for a moment around him. And in a flash- and a boy with brown hair flashed into Lea’s mind-

“Gah!” Lea yelped as he stumbled back. His head is throbbing, causing him to cradle his head. “Ugh…! What…?”

“Lea!” Isa cried out, holding his friend in concern. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Lea groaned. “…Ugh…I don’t…” He thought about the kid he had ‘seen’. “…Who…? A kid?”

“Lea,” Isa said his name again.

Lea seem to have realized Isa is with him. “…I…I dunno. I just…I saw a flash just now- and it showed a kid,” he softly explained. “I never…saw that kid before.”

“A kid?” Isa asked, tilting his head.

Lea nodded. “Yeah. I…he has brown hair, but…that’s all I could get…”

Isa raised an eyebrow at him before he looked to Ven. He approached before he touched the boy. The same thing happened with Isa’s eyes going wide-

It showed the same kid…but he looked to have blue eyes and…a necklace…?

Isa grunted, backing away from him. A hand to his head. “…Tch…!” Isa hissed. He waited a few moments, covering his face before he slides his hands over it. “…Brown hair…it’s like you said, but…he did have spikey hair…and blue eyes.”

“Why did…we see that kid?” Lea asked Isa.

“I dunno…is he…connected to Ven, somehow?” Isa questioned.

Lea shifted his eyes a bit. “…Well, what did you see? Anything else?”

Isa furrowed his brows. “…A necklace.”

“A necklace?”

Isa closed hie eyes, thinking. Trying to recall if he saw anything particular about it. He…thinks he sees a charm…what does it look like…?

It’s…a…crown?

“…Yeah,” Isa muttered, but he sounds uncertain as he said next, “It…has a crown charm.”

“Huh…” Lea muttered as Aqua talks with Terra. “A crown…” That sounds…significant. But, why are they seeing this boy? Is he somehow connected to Ven? “You don’t think…?”

“It has to be the case,” Isa replied- before he looked at Terra. “Hm?”

“What?” Lea blinked.

Isa was staring at Terra. Lea looked at him. He looked back at his friend. “…Hey…so…this the poor guy who got his body nabbed?” He asked Isa-

Isa shushed him, with Lea surprised. “…It…could be my imagination but…he’s acting strange,” Isa muttered.

Lea blinked before he stared at Terra.

_Earlier…_

Aqua looked surprised at the question, oblivious to what Lea and Isa were doing. “Terra…you don’t see him?” She asked him.

Terra looked at her. “Where are we?”

Aqua stared at him…before she had a sad look. “This is…a world the darkness has consumed. It’s Enchanted Dominion.”

“Consumed?” Terra parroted. “The worlds…fell?”

“…You didn’t know?” Aqua asked him. She had her hands clasped together over her chest. “I see…maybe you are just an illusion made from my heart.” Aside from an obvious reason…but if this is Terra… She looked at him. “How do I know you’re him?” She looked at Ventus- noting Lea holding his head. She looked surprised. What had happened?

“Aqua,” she looked back to Terra at his voice, “listen.” He made a sad look. “I promise this is me. But…I’m not myself.”

Aqua looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’re using the name ‘Terra’, That means you’re seeing me the way you remember me.” She heard Isa grunt, but her eyes are glues to Terra. The man had a hand over his chest. “But your heart is just painting the picture that it so wants to see.” He looked away. “The real me is lost in shadow.

Aqua notes it. Lost in shadow…does this mean that Xehanort still has a hold on him? “…Then…where are ‘you’?” She asked him. “Are you…trapped in the Realm of Darkness? Or…someplace else?”

“I’m not trapped here,” Terra responded, turning away from her. “My heart has ties to the dark.” He walked a few paces away from them. “That must be why we could talk. But I can’t see anything, Aqua.”

_‘That explains why he didn’t mention Lea nor Isa,’_ she thought.

“If you say Ven is there, then he’s like me – an illusion created by your heart,” Terra continued.

“I see,” Aqua muttered. _‘So, the bodies are safe…but not their hearts, are they?’_

…That would mean that Ven’s heart is elsewhere- and in trouble. Is the person who, hypothetically, saved Ven in trouble…?

“But…how did you find me?” Aqua asked Terra.

“I looked here.” Heh ad a hand on his chest. “And heard you in the darkness.”

“…I think I know why, Terra,” Aqua said softly. “Xehanort is up to something, isn’t he? Looking for Ven.”

“Yeah…” Terra confirmed. “But, you should forget about me.”

“I can’t,” Aqua answered, shaking her head. “But not for the reason you think. Now that I know why…I can’t just forget.” Terra looked surprised before grunting and holding his head. “…he’s taking over, isn’t he? He used you to track me.”

“A-Aqua, I’m…!” Terra groaned.

Aqua clenched her hand. “You can fight him. I know you can. And I’ll do what I can too. Wherever you are.”

Lea looked surprised at what’s happening with Terra. The man groaned, covering his face- his hair flashed between brown and white. “Um…! What’s happening?” Lea asked warily. Aqua had her arm up before the two boys with a stern look.

“Xehanort,” she answered.

“So, that pretty much confirms what our suspicions are,” Isa had his eyes narrowed as Terra’s hair remained white. A dark aura covers the man, with the three unconsciously backing up from him. Lea looked back at the Ventus illusion before back at Terra.

The man slowly lowered his hands. “So, you know the truth, do you?” He questioned – sounding much like the Xehanort Lea and Isa met.

“Yes. I do,” Aqua stated before narrowing her eyes. “And you won’t find Ven that easily.”

Xehanort opened his eyes…before he gave a sinister grin. “The Chamber of Waking, right?”

Aqua looked intrigued. “How do you know about that place…?”

“Did you forget who fought alongside your master- the one who wielded that Keyblade?” Xehanort asked her. “Of course, I would know that secret.”

Aqua grimaced.

He soon regarded Lea and Isa. “But…I’m surprised you two had survived for this long.” The two tensed. They hadn’t forgotten about what nearly happened to them. “Either you two were lucky…or just too stubborn to survive for this long.”

Aqua raised her arms to shield them. “They have nothing to do with this,” she said with a look. “Why involve them?”

“I was wondering what happened to them,” Xehanort said. “I see that you had met a similar fate to our teacher.”

“You mean the real Ansem,” Lea retorted. “But since you know what you’re talking about, how about some answers then- what happened to that girl? Subject X as you called her.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “The girl…ah, I see,” he looked like he understood something. “So, she’s the true reason why you two joined.”

“She was your lab rat!” Isa glared at the man in righteous anger. “We were going to save her, until she disappeared! What did you do to her?!”

“That’s something I cannot easily disclose. Even our teacher doesn’t know.”

Lea sneered before he summoned his Keyblade. “Answer us, you damn body snatching old coot!”

Xehanort’s eyes shifted to the weapon, glowing in surprise. “A _Keyblade_? You?”

“Lea,” Aqua began to warn.

“I know, but I can’t help it,” Lea shook his head. “He _knows_ something.”

“So, she was something special after all…” the man muttered. “And to think you would wield a Keyblade.” …He’s unaware of something shimmering that’s forming behind him. “This is really interesting!”

Lea notes the light before he made a smug look. “Yeah… Well, you’re forgetting something else.”

The man gave a confused look- before a glowing Terra grabbed him from behind. “Get back!” He shouted.

“What is…?” Isa began in surprise. What on earth is going on…?

“Terra!” Aqua called out. She was just as surprised to see him as well.

“You know, I figured that something was weird. If Aqua’s friend is being possessed, then that means he can still ‘hear’ us, right?” Lea asked. “He’s still technically around but…now I’m curious on who woke him up.” He soon points the Keyblade at the man. “Maybe we can ease the edge off his body snatcher.”

“No! You should focus on running- all of you!” Terra called out.

“But-!” Aqua began, distraught.

Xehanort growled. “Silence!” A surge of sort ‘bursts’ around them, with the two noticing.

Terra looked to them. “You have to go! Now!” He looked at Isa and Lea. “you two! Stay with Aqua! You hear me?!” The two looked surprised at that request.

“Hmph- do as you will if you wish to!” They looked back at Xehanort. “I already got what I want from you two anyway- but to unearth something, a potential from you, boy… Perhaps it was worth taking the two of you in after all!” A large dark portal appeared behind the small party with them surprise. Lea tried to block something with his Keyblade. “Then again…your will had only begun to show itself. That Keyblade hasn’t truly shown its true power yet – just a ‘shade’ of its abilities.”

_‘Shade?’_ Lea mentally parroted.

“No you don’t!” Terra exclaimed- but Xehanort clasped his hand over the brunette’s face, sparking with dark electricity.

“But to think you still struggle…!” Xehanort growled as Terra tried to pry his hand off.

The thing that Lea was pushing back against seized Ventus before it soon seized everyone else with them struggling. “This is…stupid!” Lea exclaimed, struggling. “How is he controlling the Heartless?!”

“It must be his heart,” Isa figured. “If he was able to control darkness, then the Heartless can at least respond to him!”

“That’s just a load of-!” Lea began to curse- before they were being squeezed. “GAH!!”

“Guys!” Terra managed out.

“Now you all can be one with the darkness!” ‘Xehanort’ shouted.

“…So, he was waiting for her to confirm what he suspected,” Isa struggled. “That means that he’ll be- GYAH!” He got squeezed. “…tossing us into the depths…!”

“Dammit!” Lea croaked out. (And he felt an odd sensation…he couldn’t describe it but…it made his skin crawl…)

Aqua looked over at Ventus. “Ven…” She uttered.

Terra continued to struggle- before his eyes snapped open. “That is _enough_!” He screamed as his body glowed- and an orange ‘dome’ filled with chains appeared around him, covering Xehanort, the trio and the arms of the being who snagged him.

Aqua began to lose consciousness. “Terra…” She muttered, before they were soon taken into the darkness…

_-_

A large, imposing white castle was seen…it floats ominously over a crater within a dark city. The city has neon lights about…but, it seems mostly…dead. It has nothing but Pure Blood Heartless roaming the cities. The white castle itself, though…it’s the home of certain individuals. Individuals that had recently acquired another, making thirteen.

Within the castle, a corridor of darkness manifested, before someone exits from it. A man with long, white hair and dark skin. He had recently returned from his ‘special’ chamber…and was mulling over what he had recently learned.

“Xemnas!” A man called out. “Xemnas!”

The man, Xemnas, looked over to another man approaching him. Long blond hair and green eyes, wearing a similar black coat to the other. “Where have you been?”

Xemnas stared at the other man. “…Visiting someone,” he answered cryptically.

The blonde hair man gave a look. _‘The Chamber of Repose…figures.’_

“Though, more importantly…” Xemnas looked over at the man. “I have figured out the whereabouts of… ‘them’.”

“‘Them’?” The man parroted. Who could Xemnas possibly be referring to?

“The location of a special room…but, also the two who were ‘lost’ that day,” Xemnas answered.

Vexen narrowed his eyes. The two who were lost-? His eyes went wide, recalling the two boys. “…Are you referring to…?”

“Indeed, Vexen,” Xemnas nodded. “They are still alive…but, trapped in darkness.”

Vexen rubbed his chin. “The darkness…? Are you referring to…there? How could they have survived for this long?”

“Time does not pass within the realm of darkness,” Xemnas answered. “Years may have passed in the realm of light…but within the dark realm, time is at a standstill.”

Vexen narrowed his eyes. “Meaning…they would still be the same age they ‘fell’ into the realm of darkness?”

“Correct,” Xemnas confirmed.

Vexen hummed, thinking. To think that the two troublesome boys, orphans at that, could have survive for that long within the dark realm. It could be luck, or… "...This could have merits of research...but...this may complicate things..."

"Ah, but how is our Numbers VII and VIII doing?" Xemnas asked the man, with him noticing.

"Oh, those two?" Vexen asked. "Well...it was a difficult challenge to make them at first...but, over time, as I perfected it, they could be stable for several more years, but only if I had enough data on them. What I got from the two of them back then wasn't sufficient enough, but it made do." He noted the look Xemnas gave him. “…Oh, yes, they’re fine. But as I said, they could need more data to stabilize them for a little longer, than an annual ‘checkup’.”

Xemnas smirked, before he hands Vexen something. "Then...perhaps THIS could be of help?"

Vexen looked over at them...before he looked shocked. Especially for the data regarding a certain red-haired boy. "What!? But...that's impossible! How did he-?"

"They were looking for Subject X," Xemnas explained with Vexen noticing. "The girl is more important than she seems. A shame she had vanished."

"I-I see," Vexen said, before looking at them again. "But...this won't guarantee that his replica would have it himself."

"Then that is fine," Xemnas said.

Vexen gave an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"It would be strange for him to suddenly wield the Keyblade himself...but, the boy he is based off of has begun to control his Keyblade. It may not work...well for him. It would most likely fail, as you say." He looked at Vexen. "But...it should be...enough, to stabilize the two, at least."

Vexen looked uncertain. "I...I see. But..." Vexen noted the look Xemnas had made...and he backtracked. "V-Very well. I'll get to work on them soon."

Xemnas gave a slow nod. “…It seems that at least their stabilization will continue onward…but to think that Subject X would be a factor to this…” The man muttered before he soon left.

Vexen watched him go, before he looked at the data in his hand. _‘…But still, why make replicas of the two? We could have had anyone else fill in the slots,’_ he thought. _‘And why have them ‘age’ as well?’_

Hm. Well, they are mere puppets. They’re imperfect, for now. It would be for the best if they remain unaware of what they are. They don’t exactly have hearts, after all…

_‘Well, I best prepare this for them,’_ Vexen thought, before he soon leaves.

…Both were unaware of someone listening in on them.

Under the hood, the man’s lips quirked a bit into a smirk. “Well…this would be interesting,” he muttered. “Quite the change.” He stood up straight. “Lea, Isa…let’s see what else you two could do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right. Lea and Isa have replicas made from the data Vexen managed to get back then, and those replicas are Axel and Saix. They're still replicas but they believe they're Nobodies. Xemnas had them made to not just fill in the spots meant for the originals, but for them to fulfill their roles.
> 
> To set the timeline, this meeting took place at between the first four days of Roxas and Namine coming into existence. It's within these days that Xemnas used the chamber once more to locate Aqua. He got the confirmation of the whereabouts of Ventus' body, but the room itself proved to be...illusive. But, he got the data from Lea and Isa to allow their replicas to become more stable. If you're wondering if this would change anything...well, you'll have to wait and see. 
> 
> Also, this chapter and the next will be the only times we'll get to see the Keyblade I made for Lea. It's called Solar Flare. I based it off of Bond of Flames and Flame Liberator. However, Xehanort called it a 'shade' for a reason. After all, Lea had just recently tapped into that power, so it isn't his true Keyblade just yet.
> 
> As for the part with Terra popping in...if you guys know of the First Breath Concert back then, it confirms that Namine had met Terra's Lingering Will. I forgot about that bit, so...there. Sora has a long list of long ass connections, and with Ven...yeah. Anyways.
> 
> We're getting closer to the end. I hope you're enjoying the ride so far. I hope you'll enjoy it some more until the end.
> 
> Stay tuned, and stay safe everyone.


	7. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Losses are felt.
> 
> Yet, a new hope worked through despair.
> 
> They know they aren't finished just yet...

A small figure had been wondering around himself, oblivious to what had happened in the dark realm he’s within. “Gosh…I’ve gotten pretty deep,” he muttered, looking around. “Am I close to the depths?”

Mickey Mouse is on a mission. The moment he noticed the stars fading out…he had a feeling something was wrong. With the old legend, and some of the worlds that had disappeared, three of them belonging to three of the seven princesses, he had a feeling someone is going to open the Door to Darkness. He had gone to his old master for advice of how to deal with it. Then he had left a letter to Donald for him and Goofy to find someone with one of a unique pair of keys that could seal it, as per Yen Sid’s instruction. One in the realm of light…the other in the dark realm. He left for Traverse Town to look for a way in – it’s closer to the darkness, in a sense, and it’s where people who had lost their worlds reside in for shelter. He was able to sneak on through an opening of darkness and got himself there.

…Though it was lucky that he did though. Where did that ‘opening’ come from?

Mickey shook his head. No time for baseless thought, he thought.

Okay, let’s mentally go over the mission again, he told himself. His master, Yen Sid, informed him on how to solve this problem and the only way through and how to undo this danger is to perform this mission. Considering that one of the Keys is in possession of the boy that Donald and Goofy had found – Sora – it just means that he has to be the one to find the other key. Of course, there are dangers that lie within the Realm of Darkness, including the monsters dubbed ‘Heartless’.

But, so far he had been wondering aimlessly. He isn’t sure if he’s even close to his destination. He hopes he isn’t too late-

Something shining in the air caught his attention. “Hm?” He blinked.

It’s small…a small blue light. It’s…warm. And familiar.

Mickey has to investigate this. Why it’s familiar.

_-_

‘Sinking’ into the ‘darkness’, Lea grunted. “…Well…that sucked,” he groaned. “How deep are we?”

After they were taken into the ‘dark portal’ by the massive thing, they were fortunately released. Aqua had lost conscious, but the two somehow didn’t lose theirs. The only thing they could do is hold onto her, as they drift further ‘down’ into the realm. They can’t afford to separate again, especially in the ‘depths’ of the place.

At his question, Isa looked around. “…Pretty deep, I guess.”

“So…we’re boned,” Lea muttered.

_‘Well, it seems like it,’_ Isa thought tiredly. He’s surprised at how deep this ‘realm’ is. Could they even get out-? Isa’s eye caught something below them. It’s small, black and red…yet, it looks vaguely familiar. Two round ears sat on top of its head…

A memory came to mind. Isa had been looking around when he saw Ansem talking with the person. He was surprised at seeing a walking, talking mouse…and quickly left, not wanting to be seen. He didn’t hear what they were talking about, but at the time he thought he had imagined seeing the mouse. Yet there he is, once more.

“…Not necessarily,” Isa said. “We need to wake up Aqua.” He got Lea’s attention before pointing down to someone. “There’s someone down there. I saw him once, talking to Ansem. Though…I thought it was my imagination.”

Lea stared at him with a flat look. “…You said before we had mice when we were apprentices,” Lea muttered. “I spent hours trying to…” He shook his head, “never mind. And you sure you’re not seeing things?”

“Well, he’s coming this way,” Isa pointed out, as Lea finally looked. The mouse-like being looked up at them, having a hand over their eyes…before it soon approached, via ‘flying’ towards them.

As it got closer and closer, the boys’ eyes went wider in wider in surprise, until it got near them. It’s a small, anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, peach skin and wore a red and black outfit and yellow shoes. The being looked just as surprised to see them as they did him.

“…Gosh!” It- he spoke. He sounds surprised. “I didn’t think anyone else would be here!”

The two blinked owlishly at him. “…Isa? I take back my comment,” Lea muttered.

Isa nodded slowly at Lea (not that he would notice, with the two staring at the mouse). But, though he wore a different outfit, Isa still recognized him. “You’re the mouse who visited Master Ansem,” Isa said with the mouse noticing.

“Huh? You know Ansem the Wise?” He asked them. They just nodded. But before they could say anything else, the mouse noticed the woman in their arms. He narrowed his eyes. “Wait…is that…?” His eyes popped open in surprise. “Aqua!” He got close to them. “Aqua, wake up!”

Aqua gave a groan. Something that was in her hand soon floated away – a small, blue star that Aqua had only shown them once when she explained her story to them. The mouse noted it and managed to retrieve it before it got far. He floated back to her. “Aqua, are you okay?” He asked her in concern, placing it back in her hand. This seems to have allowed her to start coming to.

She stared at the three blearily as they stared at her in concern. She blinked a couple of times, focusing in on the mouse. “…Mickey…?” She muttered.

The mouse, Mickey, nodded. “Yeah, it’s me! But c’mon! We better get to the ground you guys.” He looked at the two boys. “Hold onto her, you two.” They could only nod. Mickey extends her hand to Aqua. The woman takes it- before they soon ‘flew’ towards the ground.

Once their feet touched the ground, Lea and Isa let go of her, but hovering near her as she lost her balance for a moment. Only for a moment, as she had a hand on her face, but still steady. She lowered it, looking down at the mouse. “Mickey, how did…” She began- before noticing. She looked around as Isa noted something nearby. “Terra, Ven!”

Isa tapped Lea to get his attention. “We’ll have to save the discussion for later,” he said with Lea noticing something as well. Isa quickly picked up a few rocks with the two noticing that, before Mickey gave a serious look at something. Aqua turned and it’s only then that the three of them drew their Keyblades. Isa returned to this side in time as a massive swarm of Shadow Heartless formed a flexing tower.

“Okay, that’s new,” Lea noted. “Didn’t know Heartless could do that.”

“I fought it before – that was before I found you, Isa,” Aqua said to him.

“You don’t say,” Isa remarked dryly as Mickey looked at them in surprise.

“You know of the Heartless?” He asked them.

“Yeah, long story,” Lea got into a stance. “Gotta take care of that thing, right?”

“Yes,” Aqua nodded before she and Isa got into their stances. “Be careful you two.”

“Yes, ma’am!” The boys nodded.

The four quickly split from each other as the tower surged towards where they were. Isa charged up a stone with ice magic before he threw it. It freezes most of them on impact, before he threw another, charged with thunder magic to shatter them. Lea meanwhile shot fire balls at it to deal damage.

“Watch out when their eyes glow orange!” Aqua warned them. “They can sink into the ground too!”

“So just more annoying,” Lea muttered. “Got it!”

Mickey, meanwhile, used his small size to perform acrobatic feats to weave through attacks. He fired several orbs of light at the tower, before swinging his star themed Keyblade to strike the tower. The tower moved before surging towards Lea, who noticed it. Yet, he threw his Keyblade at it. “Isa!”

It slices through the ‘tower’, but that wasn’t the intent. Isa caught the Keyblade- before Lea threw up a wall of fire before him. Lea was smart enough to dash out of the way though, just as it ‘broke’ through the wall to hit where he was. Lea rolled on the ground, getting back up on his feet.

“Not bad!” Lea said as he formed fire orbs over his hand. Isa, meanwhile, shot several blizzard spells at the tower, freezing parts of it and knocking several Shadows off. He then sliced through those Heartless, applying elemental attacks to certain moves.

Meanwhile, the veteran Keyblade wielders unleashed what attacks they could at the tower, Aqua firing off Thundaga spells to shock the tower, and Mickey firing orbs of light. Both trying to disrupt the tower’s cohesion. After enough shots Isa threw the Keyblade back to Lea, who caught it before using it to unleash a massive fireball at it. The boys could see the objective to this – take down enough of the Shadows that make it up, and it’ll hopefully fall apart. But there’s a lot of them…and more are coming.

Unexpectedly, the tower came at Lea, tackling him. “GYAH!”

“Lea!” Isa and Aqua called out with Mickey noticing.

“Hold on, I got ya!” Mickey exclaimed before jumping up and slicing part of the tower away. Lea stumbled out onto the ground, his vest glittering with light. Mickey came to him before using Curaga on him.

The boy groaned, pushing himself up and shaking his head. He didn’t notice his vest disappearing into light. “Thanks for the save…”

Mickey looked sheepish. “Well…some of you.”

Lea blinked before he looked down, noticing his vest gone. “Did they just…?” Lea made an angry look. “Okay, that’s it.” He stood up, pulling back an imaginary sleeve. “Let’s just thrash them.”

Mickey hummed. There’s gotta be a way to deal with them faster- an idea sprung in his mind. “Aqua! I got an idea!” He called out to her.

Aqua noted it. “Can it be quick?”

“Yeah!” Mickey nodded.

“Okay,” Aqua nodded back.

Mickey concentrated before he and Aqua triggered the same glowing aura. “Let’s do this!” Mickey exclaimed. The two darted off, and with after images and light, they strike at the tower quickly.

Lea looked at Isa. “Guess that’s our cue to help out,” he said. “Let’s go, Isa.”

Isa nodded, before he got out a few rocks. “Right.”

As the two veteran wielders unleashed their attacks onto the tower, the boys did their part as well, launching magic at it but making sure not to hit either of them. But they both knew they can’t keep it up forever. “Hey, think you guys can finish it soon?” Lea called out to them. “We don’t have a lot of juice left!”

“Ah, right!” Mickey said, sheepish. He gave a serious look to Aqua. “Aqua!”

“Ready!” Aqua nodded. The two soon triggered an attack, unleashing an aura of light around them. “Light!” The two shouted, damaging it severely.

The tower started to wobble a bit. Lea hurled the Keyblade with a yell, slicing through parts of it to make it start to teeter. Mickey soon jumped in to slice it- with Isa coming in to help Mickey disconnect the tower from the rest. “Now!” Isa shouted, before Aqua leapt in with a yell-

And sliced it, splitting it into two. The bottom half dissolved into darkness, while the top half flew off somewhere.

The four watched it go, before Lea huffed. “…Man, that’s annoying,” he muttered. He fell onto his butt, exhausted. “Phew.”

Isa paced to him. “Lea, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Lea nodded, taking his Keyblade back from Isa. “Though…” He looked down at his body, annoyed. “I think they basically destroyed my vest.”

“Oh no, how tragic,” Isa deadpanned. He shook his head. “You’re lucky you survived. Or…”

He didn’t need to finish that sentence. Lea looked away. “I know.”

Mickey and Aqua approached the two. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Mickey said to Lea. The boys looked at the two, as Mickey continued, “But, what you pulled back there…that was dangerous. Though I never heard of a Keyblade user relaying their Keyblade around like that.”

Lea and Isa looked at each other, before Lea scratched his head. “Well, it’s what we could think of,” he admitted, “to handle the Heartless when we got separated from Aqua at the Enchanted Dominion.”

“It worked in the end, but…there could be something that could disrupt it” Isa admitted.

“Yeah. It was something good for now, but…” Lea waved his hand a bit in a ‘meh’ gesture. “We could do better.”

Aqua rubbed her chin. “Well…your coordination DID got better, I will admit.”

Lea nodded. He then looked at Mickey. “So…what’s the deal with you?” He asked the mouse. “How’d you even get to where we are?”

That is a question that puzzled the trio.

“Well, I found a world as close to the darkness as it could, as the only way in was to be on a world when it falls,” Mickey explained. “But I did find a Dark Corridor that took me here.”

The three glanced to each other, surprised. They looked back at Mickey. “…You are…by far, the luckiest mouse to even get here,” Lea said to him.

“I know. But, it was…odd,” Mickey admits, thinking. “It just appeared out of nowhere. But, I’ll take what I could get. Still…” he looked at Aqua. “I never thought I’d find you down here of all places. How did you wind up here?”

Aqua noted it. She looked to Lea and Isa…who then nodded at her. It seems Mickey was unaware of what happened, just as she herself was. It would be for the best if Mickey knew on what happened. She looked back at Mickey. “…It’s a long story,” she said softly. “We should find a bit of shelter, before we talk.” Isa helped Lea up, who dismissed his Keyblade.

Mickey noted the way they looked at each other. It looks like they had been with each other for a long while it seems. He should hear what happened. So, he nodded. “Good idea. Let’s hurry.”

_-_

After a bit of search, they soon found a crevice to dig into. After checking to make sure there’s nothing inside, the four of them entered the cave. Aqua proceeded to tell Mickey on what happened…as well as what she, Lea and Isa had recently found out – something they had figured but had been proven true.

…And they weren’t surprised at all at Mickey’s reaction, how he jumped up in surprise. “Whaaaaaaaaaat?!” He exclaimed. “So then…the Xehanort I met is…?”

“Yes,” Aqua nodded.

Mickey stood there, before he fell back onto his seat. He palmed his face. “Gosh…no wonder we couldn’t find him,” he muttered. “I never saw what he looked like, but…” he shook his head, before looking ashamed. “Aqua, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, none of us knew until we pieced it all together,” Lea pointed out. “I mean…how could we have known that Xehanort’s an old man originally, but stole a body from a well-meaning, gullible guy?”

Mickey grunted, conceding to that point. He looked at the two boys. “And you two were from Radiant Garden…but became Ansem the Wise’s apprentices to find and rescue a girl?”

Isa nodded. “Xehanort knew something about her…the fact he wouldn’t disclose information about her means something.”

“But why the girl though?” Mickey asked.

“It was part of Ansem’s research to the heart. She somehow disappeared, but we figured Xehanort might have known something. We couldn’t find the real Ansem – because he was tossed into the realm of darkness, and the ‘Ansem’ who wrote those reports were Xehanort.”

Mickey hummed at that. “I see…” he muttered, serious. He let it all process in his mind. Through all of those… He smiled, relieved. “I’m relieved, actually. The Ansem I knew wouldn’t do such a horrible thing.” He made a sheepish smile. “Well, you know. He started it but…”

“No, we get it,” Lea shook his head, “Well-meaning intentions can go awry. Especially if there are people like Xehanort who could make a mess of it. Honestly, we nearly got cooked ourselves. We would’ve probably ended up like the other apprentices.” Lea’s mind went back to the bodies of Even and Ienzo, the two fading away. “…Stabbed by that guy’s Keyblade to release our hearts and…” He shuddered. He didn’t want to think on that. He didn’t wish for that on anyone else. Even and Ienzo, especially Ienzo, never deserved such a fate…

Mickey looked at the two. “I see. But, more importantly, how did the two of you end up down here?”

Isa noted it…before he looked away. “I…honestly don’t know,” he admitted. “I heard a voice that asked me if I wanted power. I only accepted it to save ourselves.” Lea looked at him in surprise. This is the first he heard of it.

“…Seriously?” Lea asked him. “Then the portal showed up?”

Isa nodded. “Yeah. I…hadn’t tapped into it ever since. Especially when we got separated. I didn’t understand it, really. I couldn’t risk experimenting with it more just in case something else happened. Like…we lose something vital, or worse.”

Lea grunted. Well, he can understand that now. No wonder Isa was iffy at first. “I guess you’re right,” he conceded. He looked at Mickey. “In any case,” he continued on, “we wound up traveling with Aqua for a while when we got together. Though, the thing was, Subject X may have been a Keyblade Wielder because I was able to manifest a Keyblade.”

“She was?” Mickey asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah…considering his surprise,” Lea looked at his hand, “I may had…unwittedly inherited mine from her. But why would I still go through the Dive to the Heart then?”

Mickey noted it before thinking. “Hmm… sometimes, proxies could happen – one could still go through a Dive to the Heart to achieve being worthy.” He looked at Lea. “Maybe you’re being ‘tested’ to see if you’re worthy to use it yourself.”

Lea didn’t look convinced. “I guess,” he muttered. “But Xehanort called it a ‘shade’. Why would he?”

“Can I see it?” Mickey asked.

Lea nodded, before he summons it. He hands it to Mickey, who takes it. He looked it over, humming. After a long moment, Mickey looked at Lea. “…Well, it definitely seems like you manifested it, but it doesn’t feel as ‘strong’ as a real one, if that made sense,” he said, handing it back to Lea. “Maybe you’re given this, to help build up your true power?” Mickey scratched his head as Lea looked over his Keyblade.

“My true power, huh?” Lea muttered. …That would imply that he was…meant to wield a Keyblade. But why? Though, on the other hand, what Mickey made sense. He’s still basically a greenhorn, and recently summoned it. He still got a lot to do, really. Though…there’s one thing that puzzled him. “Um. All that aside…why even come down here at all?” He asked, dismissing the weapon.

Mickey noted it. He looked away, scratching his head. He looked…uncomfortable. “Gosh, I…I had a feeling you would bring that up.” For some reason…an unease formed within Lea and Isa. But…why? The mouse looked at the two. “Other than Aqua, how long do you guys think you’ve been down here?”

The two looked at each other in confusion. But…this unease…

“…Uh…a few…days?” Lea answered hesitantly.

Mickey shook his head. “Years,” he corrected. “It was 10 years since I last seen Aqua.”

The three’s eyes went wide. Lea and Isa shot up from their seats. “Years…?!” The two parroted, in disbelief.

But that can’t be…

“What…what are you implying?” Isa asked Mickey. (A part of him didn’t want to believe it. There’s a strong implication, and yet…)

Mickey looked at the two. He…couldn’t’ help but feel sorry for them. He shouldn’t have brought it up…but, they…they deserve to know the fate of their world. Mickey sighed. “Radiant Garden hadn’t been called by its true name…for nine years…”

The two boys were frozen, eyes wide. Nine years.

Nine years…

Nine…years…

Lea numbly stood there, as Isa’s knees felt weak, as the two words repeated over and over again in their heads. The latter sat back down, as the former’s body shook. He raced up to Mickey, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Then…what happened!?” Lea exclaimed, shaking Mickey. “What happened to our home? Why did it…why!?”

Aqua stood up when Lea raced to Mickey, but…she held her hands together to her chest, hearing the pain in his voice. A sense of…desperation to know what happened. And Mickey…he had a look of remorse on his face. “It was…attacked by the Heartless – the experiments eventually went under the control of a powerful fairy named Maleficent.”

Aqua did a take at the name. “Maleficent…” she muttered. So…she left her world…

Lea stared at Mickey for a while longer…before he released Mickey’s shoulders. He backed up a few paces…before he began to pace behind Isa. Isa had a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide in horror. Aqua could see it. The denial they had, of what they had just heard…and the pain they’re feeling, due to how they’re processing it. Lea looked like he wanted to yell, wanted to hit something. Isa is just horrified; his form is…shaking. He looked like he just wanted to scream. She can’t imagine what they’re feeling.

Aqua lowered her head in sadness. “To think that happened to Radiant Garden…” she muttered. She looked at Mickey. “What happened to the denizens there?”

“Well…” Mickey began softly. “I helped some of them out of there with the Gummi Ship. See, when the barriers were crumbled by the Heartless, the prices of them can be used to create a vessel, to travel between worlds like this. I gave that knowledge to Ansem the Wise to utilize, just in case. I was able to meet up with some survivors from there at Traverse Town, so at least it wasn't in vain. Though…” Mickey shook his head. “Not all of them, I’m afraid.”

Lea had stopped pacing. He turned his back to them, leaning his arm against the wall. “…So…our family is…gone, then?” Aqua blinked. ‘Family’? Not…families?

Mickey made a sad look. “I’m…I’m really sorry you two.”

“…” Lea gritted his teeth and punched the wall. “This is just…perfect. We thought we were gone for days but…it turned out to be _years_. We-” Lea shook his head as Isa’s hand lowered from his mouth, to stare down at his hands. “We lost nine, FREAKING _years_ of our lives! Just…just by being down here!” He threw his arms out, clearly angry. “I thought- things were gonna be okay! That we could still do something! Only to learn that-that psychopath’s experiments went loose, a fairy took advantage of it and-and…” He ran his fingers through his hair, clenching it, “everything and everyone we know, and love is just- gone?!” He bit back a sob. “This…this can’t…!” His voice cracked. Tears ran down his face as he sank to the ground, curling into himself.

Isa stared down at his hands…an angry look crossed his face. He had this anger, but…he couldn’t fault Aqua nor Mickey for this. That would have been so easy, wouldn’t it? To put the blame on them for their ignorance. But it wasn’t their fault that this happened. Yet, this anger…he picked up a rock, charged it with ice magic before he threw it against the wall. Upon impact, part of the wall had frozen over. “How can this happen…?” He questioned. “Xehanort, he…” he clenched his hands. “He ruined the lives of the people in our world, just to satisfy his curiosity of the heart, and he even got that Fae involved…” he hunched over. “We escaped…but, to what avail…?”

He took a deep breath though his teeth…and he felt tears prickling his eyes. He covered his face, before falling to his knees, sobbing into his hands. Thoughts entered his head.

Is this…the price? Escaping with their lives…only to lose their ‘time’? Their home? Ah, but even if they stayed…they would still lose it.

Isa isn’t sure on what’s worse. Death…or this. This is more painful than dying…

Aqua and Mickey looked on at the two. They radiated sadness, as they had their breakdown. Yet, why wouldn’t they? They just found that they had lost…so much. The hope of returning home to fix this had kept them going. Yet, the reality is that they had lost more than the lives they led. They lost their ‘time’. Aqua had been in their shoes, before. She had lost her home, and her friends – she had no one to blame but herself for putting the mission before her friends; really emulating on what a ‘master’ would do. Terra had only wanted to protect Ventus, and yet he had unwittedly helped slay their master; Ventus only wanted to be with his friends…heh, she was a pathetic role model, wasn’t she? Of course, Ven and Terra are close, and with Terra threatened, of course Ven would leave to go after him, and defend him. She didn’t understand the situation fully…that was how they fell into Xehanort’s trap as they did. If she had stopped and listened… (would it even change anything?)

And to find that ten years had passed…perhaps most of the nine of which she had ‘spent’ with the two who didn’t ask for any of this. Aqua held her hands together, down. Then again…she didn’t ask for this as well. While she was a Keyblade user by choice…she didn’t ask for their friendship to be splintered like it had. How disconnected was she to how ‘normal’ people had acted? She does cherish her friends…but, the way she treated them was left to be desired.

The sorrow and grief she felt when she saw what remained of their world before she transformed it. No greater horror…no greater scar than learning that everything you had…is gone.

She wanted to cry with them. She wanted to let them cry. They deserve this.

Aqua lowered her head. “They lost so much more than what happened…” she muttered. She looked at Mickey. “We’ve been down here for too long.” She had a hand over her chest. “And it’s clear that the darkness is getting to us.” She curled her fingers. “I still have something to fight for.” _‘But what about them?’_ She looked up at the two she had taken in as students. _‘What else could they fight for? I can’t force them to fight. It would just repeat past mistakes…’_

Mickey also looked at the two grieving boys. “…Gosh. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything…” he muttered.

Aqua lowered her eyelids. _‘Ignorance is bliss…but, we can’t turn away from this truth,’_ she thought. _‘They taught me that.’_ They had lent her their strength, to help her face her demons. Maybe…it’s time she helped them now. Aqua shook her head to Mickey. “You told them the truth. While it was ugly but leaving them ignorant wouldn’t be the best course as well…though, now, the best I could do is comfort them. Not just as their master, but as their friend.”

She approached the two, with their sobbing dying down, just small sniffling, and got to their level. “Isa. Lea.”

“…What now, Master Aqua?” Lea muttered, moving his head from his arms.

Aqua considered her words…before she said, “…There is much about the Heartless and what happened that we don’t know. But perhaps…there IS a way to help them.”

“What?” Isa muttered, despondent.

Mickey approached to her side. “Well, Master Yen Sid and I are trying to figure out more about what’s happening in the worlds. There might be a way to get your folks back and I know for certain that I know someone who would fight for your home to get Maleficent out of there.” The two stared at him with blank looks. But, they’re listening, so that’s a start. “In fact,” Mickey continued, “with the worlds falling into darkness, there’s also a way to restore those worlds too. There’s still at least something we CAN do on this side.”

“What is it?” Aqua asked him, with Mickey turning to her.

“We need to find a world that’s fallen to the Realm of Darkness,” he explained. “Since three of the worlds that fell had Princesses of Heart…it’s possible that Maleficent, and by extension Xehanort, is after the Door to Darkness. The only way to open it is by gathering the seven Princesses of Heart. It wouldn’t be closed by any other Keyblade, except for a unique pair. Known as the Kingdom Keys’. There’s one for the realm of light, and one for the realm of darkness. By having both keys, we can ensure the door can be shut, to keep the Heartless from overrunning the worlds more.”

Lea narrowed his eyes at Mickey. “And let me guess, ‘Master Yen Side’ told you about that?”

Mickey nodded. “Yup. And he’s not usually wrong.”

“…And how the hell would THAT help?” Lea asked scathingly. Aqua winced at the tone.

As did Mickey, but…the little king didn’t blame the two for how they acted and felt. “Well…at least this way, the worlds that were lost to the darkness, would return to the realm of light,” Mickey answered. “We could at least stop THIS from happening. Maybe stop anyone else from going through what you did.” The two grunted, still dispirited. “…But,” Mickey spoke up, getting their attention, “if we find out more about what Xehanort is up to, we might be able to even restore your family as well. But you’re not the only ones who lost homes. The stars out there – the worlds – are disappearing.”

Lea made a soft grunt. “…Yeah. We get that. We do,” he said. “But…well, we had friends. Not sure if I can count Squall or others among them…”

Aqua tilted her head as Mickey blinked. Why say that? Aren’t they sad for their parents?

…Actually, now that she thought about it, Lea never mentioned them at all when he talked about their lives with her- wait. Could it be…?

Her eyes went wide in realization. “…You two are orphans?”

The two looked at each other, before nodding. “…Yeah,” Lea answered. “Though, we were old enough to get jobs,” he rubbed his hand near where the bandana is around his arm. “It’s just that…some of the kids we know ended up being gone due to this…” He narrowed his eyes. “Well…now I’m OFFICIALLY angry. Losing the vest was one thing but…losing our friends to Xehanort’s wild whims and Maleficent’s wicked ambitions? THAT’s a line to be drawn.”

“I see,” Mickey said. He tilted his head in confusion as he asked, “Though, who is ‘Squall’?”

“That’s the name of our friend,” Lea answered. “Acts like a loner. Brown hair, blue eyes.”

“Has a sigil of a lion’s head on a cross somewhere on his clothing,” Isa added.

Mickey noticed it. “Oh! You’re talking about Leon!”

“Leon?” The two parroted.

Mickey nodded. “Aerith told me that it isn’t his real name…but he’s calling himself that until they reclaim their world and rebuild it.”

“…so, she’s also alive?” Isa muttered. Though, it was in disbelief. Like he was…pleasantly surprised.

Mickey nodded. “Their group is small, but they had a young ninja named Yuffie, and an old pilot named Cid. There could be others, but…I’m not sure, really.”

“…I see,” Isa muttered as Lea scratched his head. (And is it Aqua or did Lea seem _really_ relieved to hear that this 'Aerith' is okay?)

“…Man. It must have been rough on Squall,” Lea muttered, thinking about their friend. Still…he gave a small smile. “But, at least some of them are okay. That’s good.” He took a deep breath through his nose before slapping his cheeks a couple of times. “Okay! Done being upset. If we’re going to fight, we’re taking back the worlds.”

Isa looked at him in surprise. “That quickly?”

“It’s not like I don’t care,” Lea explained as he turned to him. “I do care. But…moping around and crying about it isn’t going to get our lives back. You, me, and Aqua,” he gestured to the three of them, “are the only ones who knows what’s really going on. We’re…not gonna get our time back.” He shook his head. “I know that much. But…I can’t sit around and do nothing while this is happening.”

Isa stared at Lea in surprise. When had…Lea grew up? Throughout the time in the Realm of Darkness, he had gotten a bit more perceptive, asking certain questions that should have been asked. It was he who pulled them out to face themselves (literally), and though he’s still a bit reckless…he’s still the same Lea he knew. But, he’s right. Moping around isn’t going to give them back what they lost. There would be time to cry more later. There’s still a lot they need to do.

So, with that, Isa smiled. “Right,” he said. “We can’t.”

“Damn straight,” Lea grinned.

“Then there’s one thing we need to ask…” Isa looked to Mickey (he and Aqua silent as they had their talk). “What’s the world you need to get to in order to help seal the ‘door’?”

Mickey looked surprised. He scratched his head. “Well…the only clue I got is that the Keyblade of the Realm of Light is obtained on a world. I just know that a young fella named Sora is its wielder.”

The name of the boy surprised them. Is it…the same boy Aqua had met? “Sora?” Aqua asked. “What does he look like?”

Mickey hummed. “…Well, I only saw him once, at Traverse Town. A boy around Lea and Isa’s age, maybe younger, with spiky brown hair…blue eyes…” He perked up. “Oh! And he also has a crown charm necklace.”

Lea and Isa looked surprised at the description, before looking at each other. That…that CAN’T be a coincidence, could it?

Mickey and Aqua noted the looks. “What’s wrong?” Mickey asked them.

“Uh…well…” Lea scratched his head, “while Aqua was talking to the Terra illusion, we tried to poke Ven…and we got visions. We saw someone-”

“With exactly the same description that you made,” Isa finished. “It’s like…Ventus is connected to him, somehow.”

Mickey blinked, with Aqua noticing. Oh, right, he wouldn’t know. “Lea and Isa met Ven back then,” she explained to them.

Mickey blinked again, but in surprise. “Huh?” He looked between the two boys. “You two knew Ven?”

They nodded. “We met him 10 years ago,” Lea explained. “After Aqua and her pals had a bit of a squabble with trust issues. I get that they’re students, but their relationship seems based more on a school basis than actual friendship. That’s based on my assumption, at least.”

Aqua sighed. “Well, no matter how you look at it, that mistrust is what led us into our own situation.”

“Oh,” Mickey said softly. He can guess circumstances up until the Keyblade Graveyard weren’t so…great. Being one of the people with the weapons that once ‘stole’ light, and using the weapon to protect it instead, can have a lot on your shoulders. Especially for Aqua, who is a Keyblade Master. Even so… Mickey scratched his head. “…But, gosh, who would have thought you two had such a connection to him?”

“It’s true that we only met him once,” Isa began, “but maybe we’re the ones who inspired him. In any case, sounds like the Sora from Aqua’s story grew up…but maybe he went through his own Dive to the Heart if he was able to summon a Keyblade.”

Lea looked at Isa. “Do you think it came…full circle?” Lea asked him. “I mean, there’s gotta be a reason why we saw Sora through Ven.”

“…Maybe,” Isa responded.

“What’s wrong?” Mickey asked.

“Well, we had a theory on what happened to Ven’s heart” Lea explained, “Considering how that Xehanort guy made Vanitas, from a fragment of Ven’s heart, if we saw Sora…then maybe, just maybe…Ven’s heart may be within Sora’s, resting.”

Mickey looked surprised. “Really??”

“It’s a theory, really,” Isa said. He didn’t want to get Mickey’s hopes up just yet.

Mickey noted it before humming. “…Well, if your theory’s right…then maybe we found where Ven’s heart is. The only way to be sure though is to see if there’s a connection…”

“Well, we can’t just pry out Ven’s heart out of Sora,” Lea snapped his fingers, “like that. And we can’t just make him into a Heartless.” Those are good points. They can’t expect a kid to do something like that if they aren’t entirely sure if their theory is right.

Isa nodded. “Do you know another way?”

“Well, no,” Mickey shook his head. But before they could slump, Mickey held up a finger, “But Master Yen Side might! If we find proof that Sora and Ventus are connected that way, then he’ll find a way to help them both!”

“Huh.” Lea had his hands on his hips. “About time you’re speaking my language.”

Isa hummed in thought, crossing his arms. “Speaking of Sora, if he attained the Keyblade…then that means it had to be either at Traverse Town…or the home he’s from that he manifested it. That would mean that the Islands he came from must be in the realm of darkness.”

Mickey and Aqua noticed it, with Mickey clenching his hands. “That’s gotta be it!” He exclaimed. “If we find the islands in the darkness, then we’ll find the other Keyblade!”

“True, but…” Aqua trailed off, concerned.

Lea noted it, huffing a bit before he walked over to her. He lightly smacked her shoulder to get her attention. “Hey. If Sora got out of the islands falling, so would his friends like Riku, right? You gotta have faith in those kids, chosen or not.”

Faith…

Aqua looked at Lea, staring into his eyes. Though he is in pain, in a lot of pain…he decided to take the pain he had felt, to use it to help others now. He had recently manifested a Keyblade, and though it isn’t his ‘true’ Keyblade…his heart is strong. He faced and accepted his own flaws; he had held onto hope…and turned the despair he had felt into something new. Time and time again. The woman felt her chest being warm. But it’s a different kind of warmth. Is this…what pride is? To see how far your student has come? She IS proud of him. This is what it means to be a master, to see how far they would grow…

Isa soon stepped up to her, getting her attention. “He’s right. You gotta have faith. You did for us.”

Then again, so had Isa. The connection he and Lea shared with each other is very special. She smiled. She was glad to have met them; they opened her eyes to so much.

She nodded to them. “You’re right. Thank you, Lea. Isa.” Lea had a grin on his face as Isa smirked. She got serious. “Time might be of the essence, but it’s important that we help you master manifesting the Keyblade,” she directed it to Lea. “You have a strong heart, and you have a goal to work towards. Now…tell me what that goal is. That will give ‘fuel’ to the flames you’re making.”

Without hesitation, Lea answered, “Obviously to protect my friends. But if they get snagged…well, I’ll just have to save them with all I got. Like a fire on a fuse. But…” he looked sheepish. “I might end up being the one _they_ need to rescue.” He smiled easy. “So, I guess being a reliable rescue man might be my drive as long as we can save each other when we needed it the most.” He nodded. “And that’s my drive.”

Aqua smiled. “It’s a good drive…” she praised. “Now you just need to instill that fuel into the Keyblade.”

Lea nodded. “Right.” He looked at his hand before he held it up, calling forth his Keyblade. “…Give me the strength to help them…just as they can help me…” He muttered…and the Keyblade flashed with flames. The flames are bright, warm. A warm fire that gives safety and life to others around them.

Soon enough, the flames are gone from the Keyblade…but the shape is…different.

The guard is the same, but with more circles and spikes to it. The flames seem to have consumed the top part of it, the ‘flame’ curled a bit at the top, like a hook for the teeth. While the crystal fire previously seems wilder, the blade now looked tamed. The chain and the token are different, with the chain being smaller chakrams, and the token is that of a chakram of a similar design around the hilt but more silver.

Lea and Isa looked surprised at the change. “Whoa…!” Lea breathed out, looking at it in shock. “It transformed!”

Mickey looked at it, before nodding. “Yup! That’s your true Keyblade Lea!”

“Huh…!” Lea had the blade on his hand, running his fingers over it. As if he had gotten a new appreciation of the weapon crafted from his heart.

Aqua nodded. “The Keyblade has the power to transform to its wielder’s need,” she explained. “It can change into other weapons to even a vehicle to traverse the worlds in the Lanes and Ocean Between.”

Lea looked at her. “Yeah, you told us that earlier.”

“I know. But it doesn’t hurt to get a reminder,” Aqua pointed out.

Lea hummed. “…Good point,” he conceded. He grinned at the weapon. “Still, I like it! So, let’s try it out then!”

“Wait, already?” Isa asked incredulous as Lea spun the weapon in his hand- the crystal ‘blade’ turned into actual flames with them surprised before turning into a pair of chakrams. It looked similar to the guard’s design, but with a cross shaped handle to them. Lea had them in his hands, with him staring at them in surprise.

He wasn’t the only one surprised, though. Aqua stared at that. _‘That was…so fast,’_ she thought. She didn’t expect him to utilize it so quickly…

Lea looked over at the pair, humming. How could he use them? Does he…use them like a frisbee? He quirked a smile before he throws it like one. But it was off course with him noticing, deflecting off of a rock- and got stuck in the ceiling of the cave.

They stared at that. “…Uh…” Lea droned out.

Aqua made a sheepish smile. _‘…Though, he could use some work.’_ Lea mentioned that he fought against Ven with frisbees…he probably thought he could apply it with the chakrams.

“…Well, that could’ve gone better,” Isa spoke up finally.

“Yeah…” Lea agreed, scratching his head. “I got too excited and my aim was off.”

Isa snorted. “Well, let’s hope there wouldn’t be any accidents.”

“Hey,” Lea pouted at him. Mickey and Aqua laughed. The boys looked at them. “What?”

“Sorry, it’s just…you two really are good friends,” Aqua said with a smile. They hadn’t forgotten that at least.

The two boys noted it before blushing, Lea scratching his cheek while Isa rubbed his arm. But they’re smiling a bit.

Once Mickey and Aqua are done laughing, Aqua looked between the two. “Still, you two must be resolute if you’re going to work hard,” she said to them.

“Yeah,” Lea nodded as the chakram in the ceiling disappeared. The chakram in his hand soon turned back into its Keyblade form again. “We’ll make up for our disappearance to our own friends and help the kids out. THAT much we can say.” He shoulders it with a smirk. “We’re not the same kids we were before now. Get it memorized.”

“I do,” Aqua replied, smiling. “And Ven would no doubt be happy for you too.”

_-_

The four excited the cave as Mickey looked to Aqua. “You know,” he began, “we were looking for you for a long time, but…”

Aqua shook her head. “What happened, happened,” she said to appease his guilt. “After our last talk at Yen Sid’s tower, I took Ven and I hid him before I went looking for Terra. But his fate was set by Xehanort…and so was mine. Xehanort was banking on me to help give my friend a chance back into the realm of light. I was reminded of my own memories of the past…but I actually got the chance to mature here. If it weren’t for Lea and Isa, I never would’ve realized I made myself empty in my own pursuits to save them, and my master’s own teachings…I would have left myself become hollow. I didn’t have any real personal experience to rely on.” She lifted her charm to the ‘sky’. “If anything, the shadows of my heart aren’t present anymore… I feel at peace with myself now.” She lowered it to smile down at it.

“Gosh…” Mickey looked at Lea and Isa, who were still nearby. He looked back at her. “You know…while it’s kind of bad for their situation…but, those two helped you out in a lot of ways.”

Aqua nodded. “It’s funny. While we had lost our time here…we’re still able to grow at least.”

“A growth of a different kind,” Lea added, holding a finger up.

“Yeah,” Isa nodded to agree. “That said, we need to do something about this. Your connections are still intact, despite being in their predicaments.”

“Yeah,” Aqua nodded. “We’ll win out. And we’ll help Ven and Terra too.”

It’s good to be optimistic…but…

“…Well, I hate to be THAT person, but…” Isa began, “is there a way OUT of the realm of darkness? I mean, Mickey got in and all. Does he have a plan to get out?”

Mickey paused with his ears springing up, with them noticing. “…Uh oh. I done it again.”

The three of them stared at him, incredulous. “…Wait a minute. You mean to say that you pretty much gone in, Keyblade slinging, at the first chance you get without a way out??” Lea asked him.

Mickey gave a sheepish chuckle. “Sorry. I was so focused on finding a way in…I didn’t think much of how to get out. It isn’t exactly easy to get ‘in’ here, you know? To be honest, I didn’t think I could even get in here.”

Aqua gave a bored smile. “You never changed, did you?” She asked as the boys rolled their eyes.

“…Well, if we help restore the worlds then THAT would create a way out, right?” Lea asked.

“Yeah!” Mickey nodded before he amended, “At least…I hope so.”

“Well, if we can find him, maybe we can ask Ansem the Wise a way out if we ask nicely,” Lea figured. He shook his head. “…Fat chance in running into him if Xehanort banished him and he was caught in the same predicament we nearly were.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out,” Mickey assured them. “In the meantime, how did the two of you get pretty good with magic?”

Lea perked…before his cheeks went red. “Well…sheer determination, stubbornness…and luck on my end,” he admits. “I got help in refining it, really.”

“Considering your near-death experience with that Heartless at the mines?” Isa asked him.

“Pretty much,” Lea answered.

“Well, don’t worry!” Mickey nodded. “I can teach you more magic too. Since Lea got his resolve ironed down, we can use this chance to practice with the Keyblade for real.” He perked. “Oh, uh, right! Before I forgot…there is something important that I should probably mention.” He called forth his Keyblade. “It’s important that we upgrade our Keyblades once you get out. The reason why is because without proper maintenance and material building, even the Keyblade can break. Of course, if your will is a bit on the shaky side, the Keyblade can escape being broken, but you’ll be taking a hit. If it does break, you’ll have to go to a Keyblade Master to attain a new one.”

“huh, that right?” Lea asked. He scratched his head. “…I guess it’s a good idea to do that, once we get out of here. Hopefully, mine doesn’t break before we get out.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Isa said to him, annoyed.

“I’m trying NOT to,” Lea responded. “Just…c’mon man! I’m not THAT entirely hopeless!”

“I know,” Isa sighed. “You’re the one who pulled us back up to face ourselves after all.”

“You need to work on that a bit,” Lea remarked. “I know you’re worried, and this is how you show it, but…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

“Well, then let’s hurry to the islands,” Isa said. “We might be running short on time before the next world falls. And our trip there would be longer.”

Aqua nodded. “Then let’s go.”

“Right,” Mickey nodded. He looked up at the 'sky'. “May our hearts be our guiding key.”

The two blinked at that as Aqua remarked, “ _There’s_ a phrase no one said in ages.”

“Keyblade wielders used to say those words to each other,” Mickey responded to her. He reaches out his hand to the ‘sky’ and clenches it. “And now, it’s something I like to try and remember.”

“So…what exactly does it mean?” Lea asked, curious. (He felt like he had heard that phrase before)

“Well, it means ‘follow your heart and do what you feel is right’,” Mickey responded.

“That’s an…interesting thing to say,” Isa mused.

“I know. But, in the end, there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer,” Mickey figured, scratching his head. “While there is the case of Xehanort, anyone could have their own interpretations of that phrase.”

“So…what you just said is your own interpretation,” Isa figured.

“Yup,” Mickey nodded with a smile. He looked serious. “But, we wasted enough time. So, let’s go!”

They nodded, with Lea looking out. _‘May my heart be my guiding key, huh…?’_ He thought. He’s learning a lot about what it means to be a Keyblade wielder.

Wherever Sora is, he hopes the kid knows to do the right thing in the end. He would need a lot of help, and a lot of support for the role on his shoulders. He’s going to need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My head-cannon is that our boys are orphans. Everyone's got their own interpretation of their lives before the 'fall' - mine is that they were orphans since they were pretty young. They were raised but...well, an incident happened that had the two become orphans. Meanwhile, notice of how I put in that Lea was especially relieved to hear that Aerith is okay? I'll put this in real quick: Lea considered Aerith as a big sister figure. There's a reason why. A reason you'll find later on in the series.
> 
> We're now within the last sector of Fragmentary Passage - it would be at this time Sora would be preparing for the last part of his adventure: stopping Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness and save the universe. Boy, that's a lot on that kid's shoulders, eh?
> 
> Also, we'll have to part ways with Solar Flare - you weren't there for long, but you won't be forgotten. Lea's vow reflects Flame Liberator; his drive to liberate his friends from their fates, as well as his affinity to fire. Lea's true Keyblade...but the part about the Keyblade breaking is the truth (considering Riku's Way to Dawn Keyblade broke early in Kingdom Hearts III). That'll be something they'll do once they get out.
> 
> We're almost to the end everyone. Like, just...two chapters to go. Why I put in ten? Epilogue. Hah. Anyways, all of you stay tuned, and stay safe out there.


	8. Light at the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a journey comes to an end...
> 
> ...And another soon begins.

The quartet’s trek through the depths is mostly silent, save for a few attacks from the Heartless. Isa is genuinely surprised by how helpful Mickey is in teaching them advanced magics. Mickey happily explained that his master is a powerful sorcerer, so of course Mickey would know of magic control.

…With humble beginnings.

“Wait. So…you accidentally flooded your master’s tower by having some brooms come to life?” Isa asked as they walked.

Mickey had a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled. “Yeah. I was pretty excited when I wore his hat. I fell asleep, and…well, that was a disaster. I learned an important lesson that day.”

Lea shook his head, laughing, “W-w-wow! That was just-!” He chuckled. “Well, glad to know that I wasn’t the only one who was garbage at first.”

“Assuming Aqua also started off as trash before,” Isa remarked.

Aqua looked sheepish. “Well, my strength isn’t as great as Terra’s – magic has always been my forte.”

“You at least made up for it in agility,” Isa pointed out.

“I know,” Aqua nodded. “Yen Sid taught Terra and I a few things, like Flowmotion for example.”

“He did?” Lea asked her, intrigued. Isa is intrigued as well. “So…why would he teach you?”

“Sometimes, students of other masters could train under different ones,” Aqua explained. “Terra and I learned to utilize chain constructs, which is what our master, Eraqus, utilizes. By learning different things from different masters, could we adapt.”

Lea scratched his cheek in thought. “…So, since I learned Flowmotion, I could also learn how to make chains too?”

“Possibly,” Aqua nodded. “I could also make something unique to me, and then pass it down to you.” She hummed. “Well, actually, to any other student of mine.”

“You mean other students besides Isa and me?” Lea asked her.

“That’s right,” Aqua confirmed.

Lea hummed. He had his hands behind his head. “Well…had you come up with anything?”

“Not yet.”

“Then…once you do, you could teach Isa and I,” Lea grinned at her.

Isa stared at him. Lea made it sound like even Isa could learn it himself if it ever came to it. He doesn’t have a Keyblade though. “Assuming I have a Keyblade,” Isa pointed out to Lea.

Lea looked at him, turning slightly. He lowered his arms. “Hey man…I know you could do it,” Lea said. “Keyblade or not, Aqua and Mickey took the time to teach both of us. To my luck, you could probably do it faster than I could.”

“I still need time to master it,” Isa reminded him.

“I know. And I had to learn to be patient,” Lea remarked.

“Well, you weren’t always exactly patient,” Isa shook his head, but smiling. Even when they were kids, Lea had never been a patient one. But when he sets his mind to something, you can’t change his mind. It’s a matter of having him set his mind to something. Lea had done a lot of growing in this place. So has he.

Hmm…

“I know,” Lea admitted. “Though, I don’t think I outgrew that just yet.”

“There’s still time,” Isa assured him. He looked around at them. “Anyway, is anyone tired yet? We could rest for now.”

They stopped, looking at Isa. “Huh? Uh…I think I could keep going,” Lea said. “Wait, are you?”

“Well, sort of,” Isa lied. “But I don’t want to push our limit. Who knows what could be awaiting us?”

“Well, it’s nice of you to worry about us, Isa,” Mickey said. “But we’re still no closer to our destination.”

He looked at Aqua. Staring into her eyes, as she stared back in confusion. It was only a moment, when Aqua’s eyes went wide a little. She hummed in thought. “…Then, Isa and I would go on ahead a bit to see where we need to go. Lea, you could do a bit more of a practice with Mickey. It’s probably a good idea to see if you could master any other fire-based magic, or any other magic. You were able to learn Thunder at least from Mickey and I.”

Isa sent Aqua a grateful look, as Lea and Mickey blinked at her. “…Uh…well, true,” Lea muttered, thinking. “I guess we could do that.”

Mickey nodded. “All right then! But be careful you two.”

“We will,” Isa nodded to them. He looked at Aqua, nodded once before he walked on ahead. He got further ahead…before he turned a corner. Aqua soon joins him.

“Isa, is something wrong?” Aqua asked him.

Isa looked around the corner, seeing Lea’s focus entirely on Mickey as he explained something to him. He couldn’t hear what he was saying…but that’s all right. Isa looked back at her. “Remember our talk, before the Enchanted Dominion?”

“Which one?” Aqua asked him.

“The one where you gave me a choice to be bestowed a Keyblade,” Isa clarified. “I thought about it.”

Aqua looked surprised. “Oh. You thought about it?”

“For a while, yeah,” Isa nodded.

“So…what is your answer?” Aqua asked him.

“Well…” Isa thought back to everything they had gone through so far. He isn’t the same person he was before. To be perfectly honest, he was hesitant about it all…because he thought he needed a reason – a very good reason to utilize something like the Keyblade properly. Even though the Keyblade Lea had manifested wasn’t his ‘true’ form, having it in his hand had him think about it some more. How Lea seemingly didn’t have a reason himself to probably summon it, other than the fact he had to take a ‘test’ to be deemed worthy. The fact he was bestowed one, from their missing friend of all people, and the Dive to the Heart…Lea would seemingly not have a reason to use the power gifted to him, other than to fight others.

And yet, hearing Lea’s goal to Aqua, after the revelation of them having lost their time…he saw the honest look in his eyes. He was determined to do what he vowed to do. And…

…And it was surprisingly simple. A rather simple reason, really. It isn’t grand, it isn’t big. It was Lea’s reason, and his own reason. A reason he found for himself. A reason not given to him.

As for himself? He thought his reason was to be with Lea- his purpose. He only had Lea for a friend. The two of them knew each other before they became orphans. After they lost…their mothers, Isa felt he had to be by Lea’s side. Forever. Yet…he learned that he doesn’t have to have a reason to be with Lea. He treasures Lea, a lot.

Um. Right, his original train of thought. His reason. Isa has his reason to fight now. His reason, his own reason, to use the Keyblade properly. It isn’t just Lea he wanted to protect after all now. It’s funny…he had gotten rather close to Aqua and began to get close to Mickey. And maybe opening his heart to other people, to connect to them, wouldn’t be so bad…

Isa looked at her in the eyes, determined. He won’t let Lea, or anyone else take the burden on their own. They could do it together.

“I think…I can accept being bestowed a Keyblade,” he said.

_-_

“Think you got it now?” Mickey asked Lea.

Lea hummed, thinking. “…So…uh…what you’re saying is that gravity could be used in different ways. You could either use it to bring your enemies to the ground – literally – or anything in the air…or, you could make them float, leaving them vulnerable?”

Mickey nodded. “Yup!”

Lea thought about it. Utilizing gravity huh? That seems more up Isa’s alley, really…but, he could see the benefits to utilizing either of them. He could bring certain ones to ground level…or, he could make them helpless in the air for him to hit with a barrage of fire balls or even cut them up with wind. The more he thought about it, the more appealing it is to use it.

“…You know what? Yeah, I can learn that,” Lea nodded. He feels pumped. “Teach me how to use Zero Gravity, Mickey!”

Mickey chuckled. “All right then.” He dug into his pocket before he pulled out something. “While I would have liked to teach you how to do it properly, this is the ‘faster’ method to learn them. But practice can help.”

Lea stared at it in confusion. It’s a small stone with it round at the ‘top’ – it has four yellow points with a Fleur-de-lis at each ‘end’, and a yellow swirl as well. The rest is colored like the night sky. But the stone itself isn’t the source of his confusion. He looked at Mickey. “Why’d you have it on you?” He asked him.

“Well…just in case?” Mickey answered, sheepish. “I got some of them in case I needed to give them to Sora or Riku later. But at least this could be useful for you. I got a couple for the others, including a Thunder gem too.”

“Huh.” Lea looked down at it. “…Well, screw it.” He has his hand over the gem. It glowed…and he felt an odd power go into him. It feels…strange. Foreign almost. But why would it feel that way? _‘I wanna learn it,’_ he told his body. _‘Let me learn it.’_

…Soon enough, the odd feeling went away. He looked at his hand, blinking owlishly.

“What’s wrong?” Mickey asked him, concerned.

“Uh…” Should Lea tell him about it? Hm. Nah. It probably wasn’t important. It’s normal, isn’t it? He shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He looked at Mickey. “So…I learned it, now what?”

“Well…let’s start by helping you get used to it,” Mickey suggested. “It may be Zero Gravity, but simply ‘lifting’ something into the air isn’t all that simple. Let’s start with something small first, and then work our way up.”

Lea nodded. “All right.”

And that’s what they did. Mickey had found some small stones for them to practice on. At first, it took a lot of Lea’s concentration to even make ONE of them float. And a lot of concentration to have it keep floating. The ‘faster’ method is to send out a pulse of energy around you, to send them into the air – but as Lea found, there are other uses to utilize magic. Considering he figured out how to make fire ‘bullets’ and such, other than just making fireballs with his hands. Using magic to make things float is just one of the skills he could learn. And he is damn determined to learn it.

He tried not to let elation fill him when he managed to successfully lift a rock that you could hold in your hand. He had to keep concentrating. Mickey’s encouragement helps out, but he would feel a bit better once it’s in his hand. Slowly, slowly, did he have the rock ‘float’ towards him. Slow and steady…

Once it’s within reach, he had to slowly reach for it. Once he has it in his hand…did he release the spell. He panted, feeling sweat on him. “That’s wonderful!” Mickey praised. He sounds happy. “You did a good job, Lea!”

Lea felt a smile on his face as well. “Yeah. Thanks.” He places the rock aside. “All right, the others…” He held the Keyblade out in his hands.

“Don’t overwork yourself, Lea,” Mickey warned him.

“I know, I know,” Lea said. Okay, he thinks he figured out how to deal with smaller rocks. He went back to focusing, targeting another rock.

He had gotten started on targeting multiple rocks when he heard, “What are you doing?”

He lost concentration. He jumped at the sudden voice- and the rocks fell, clattering to the floor. He stared at them. He looked to the source. Isa is there, arms crossed and raising an eyebrow at him. Aqua is also there, looking around a bit. “Oh. Uh…hiya, guys,” Lea greeted, feeling his cheeks warm. “Just learning other methods of using Zero Gravity.”

“Oh, that one?” Aqua asked him.

“Yeah,” Lea nodded. “Mickey’s helping me out. Just learning of how to apply it to other stuff than enemies.”

“Hence the rocks?” Isa asked, looking around at the rocks around them.

“Yeah. Pretty much,” Lea nodded. “I think I’ll practice a bit more on it later.”

“I suppose that’s a good idea,” Mickey nodded. He looked at the two. “By the way, did you find something?”

“Um…sort of?” Isa answered, uncertain.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lea asked him, confused.

“Well…we saw a _light_ ahead,” Aqua answered. “Like…a genuine bright light.”

Lea tilted his head, crossing his arms. “That’s not normal, is it?”

They shook their heads. “Hmm…then that might be our destination,” Mickey figured. “Let’s head there.”

With that, the four continued onwards, towards the light Aqua and Isa had seen. As they walked, Lea had to look around. It’s the depths of the dark realm, true, but…he couldn’t help but see that with how it’s shaped, the blue crystals that are like ice…there’s an odd beauty to it. Sure, it’s home to dangerous monsters that could steal hearts, but…he can’t help but think that. What other parts of the realm that are yet unexplored? Is there…a middle ground between light and dark here? No matter what, even if one thing is full of something, it can never fully overtake the other. Try to cover one in pure darkness, you need a ‘light’ to help balance it out. The same goes in vice versa. Ven and Vanitas…they’re two halves, but in a sense, they need each other to co-exist in some way.

If darkness is emotion, what exactly makes it bad? Where emotion is stemmed from? Hm…

Thinking about it isn’t going to give him any answers. Just cause one big headache for later.

He gazed up- and something bright is reflected off of the seemingly wet surface of the ground. He blinked at that. “huh?”

“What?” Isa asked him.

“Hey…is it me or is something reflecting off of the rocks?” Lea asked.

“Oh. That’s the light we saw,” Isa responded.

Lea looked at him in surprise. “Really?”

Aqua nodded. “That’s right.” They got closer…and Lea could see something bright, very bright further ahead. “Let’s go.”

Lea could only nod before the four hurried off. It was covered by some alcoves and formations…but they got close. And closer. They went through a small tunnel- Lea had to shield his eyes from the light, hissing. It had been so long since they had seen light. The ‘howl’ seems a bit more pronounced than usual. As if it came from the cavern filled with a bright light.

Lea’s eyes squinted through the light. “Think that’s where we need to go?” He asked them.

“One way to find out,” Isa said. Even they were covering their eyes.

They carefully walked down the path- and the rest is sand. A lot of sand. Even so, they walked on…into the light.

…

And the next thing he knew, he could feel the wind. The light isn’t as intense as it was before…

Lea lowered his arm…and stared out before him in complete shock. They seem to be on a floating island. All around them is a blue sky, with clouds around. Is it a real sky? He looked around in wonder. It…feels like it’s still within the light…but the warped land of the ‘island’, how it was broken apart…and parts of it touched by darkness.

Even this island, too, had fallen victim to the dark.

There are still exotic plants around, a broken wooden dock, meant for an ocean it floats above now. A single shack sits near a waterfall, and a large tree that has the remains of a house to it. Lea wished he could have seen the islands in its full glory.

But, with the islands being here…

He hadn’t noticed Aqua head over to the edge, staring out beyond the horizon. He noted Mickey and Isa walking forward to her. He hurried on to catch up to them. Once they were at her side, they looked out. There are more parts of the island to be seen. Lea was sure he saw a lone island with a bent tree further out.

Aqua sighed. “I just…can’t believe it…” They looked at her. “I know it may be possible…but to think that even this world had been consumed…”

Lea made a sad frown. “Yeah…” He muttered before looking out. “I’ll bet this place was pretty nice. Not as good as Radiant Garden, but…” This was once another’s home. He wasn’t there when his and Isa’s own home had fell, but…he still lost his home, regardless. What difference did it make if he didn’t see it ‘fall’ or not? But…maybe a part of him wanted to see it with his own eyes. To see how bad it had gotten. Did he want to know…?

…

Lea made a stern look. He patted his cheeks a couple of times. No time to be thinking of that. They got a mission to accomplish. “As much as I don’t want to break the atmosphere, we still got something to do,” Lea told them.

Mickey noted it. “Right. Since we’re here, it should be around here somewhere…”

Isa crossed his arms. “It’ll take forever to search parts of the island,” he said. “Especially the other ones. So…there has to be the one area we would have to check out.”

“The question is: where?” Aqua asked as they looked out. Lea had his hands over his eyes, narrowing them to look around a bit better. He felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He looked to see Isa, who then pointed to the bigger tree.

“We should check over there,” he announced to the two. “There’s probably a secret or two on this little island.”

“Well, it’s the only clue we got,” Mickey figured. Suddenly the place shook. Lea nearly lost his balance. “We don’t have a lot of time left!” Mickey’s voice got a serious tone. He and Aqua then bolted off.

“H-Hey! Wait up!” Lea cried out before he and Isa took off after them.

“I can get the sense of urgency, but this feels a bit too easy, wouldn’t you say?” Isa spoke up.

“What makes you say that?” Lea asked him as they got to the rock wall.

“Dunno, just a feeling,” he responded.

Lea looked at Isa at that. Isa does NOT mess around when he says he has a bad feeling. This feeling is what had them be able to escape Xehanort at the last moment after all. If he hadn’t listened to Isa and instead check something…

Lea was cut out of his thoughts when the place shook again- and then a swarm of Shadow Heartless came pouring out of…somewhere.

“Whoa!” Lea pressed himself to the wall with Isa, watching them fly away in shock. “What the hell was that?!”

“I don’t know,” Isa said. He heard Isa scramble up next to him, with Lea looking up at him.

“What’s wrong?” Lea asked him before he joined him.

But he can soon see why. Aqua and Mickey are missing.

“Where’d they go…?” Lea began but trailed off…before he and Isa turned as one to look at the swam that was further out. There was volleys of light orbs and magic flung at it.

It looks like the ‘tower’ they make…but it’s more animated. Alive. Lea could faintly see something within that… ‘wave’. An orb?

“…Something tells me we should leave that to the professionals,” Isa said.

And Lea…could only nod. It looks like something they shouldn’t mess with just yet. He looked at Isa. “So what do we do in the meantime?”

“Well…” Isa pointed at a spot. “The one place to check out, really.”

Lea looked over. He squinted…and in the darkness, he could faintly make out a small opening. Lea got closer and formed a sizable fire orb. It reveals the small opening. Looks like Isa’s right. Lea hummed. “Well, let’s check it out then.”

He crouched down and goes under it. It’s big enough to allow them to get in there at least. He entered a small tunnel, with packed in sand under him. He moved a few inches to allow Isa room to get in himself. Once he’s through, the two boys walked down the rather narrow path. He could hear the wind howl as they go deeper…and soon enters a bigger area of the cave. Roots of various plants and such hug the stone walls of the natural cave. It looked like it wasn’t exactly deserted, as there’s drawings on the walls.

…Though, what got their attention is something that’s just…incredibly out of place. Sitting there at the end of the cave is a door. A simple wooden door that’s flat at the bottom yet it was a large oval shape. It has a gold outline around it with a little ‘style’ at the top.

The two approached the door. “That’s something you don’t see every day,” Lea remarked. “You think it leads somewhere?”

Isa looked over at it. “There isn’t a knob,” he noted. That is true. There isn’t a knob that could help open it. And the ‘cracks’ are thin enough that they simply can’t dig their fingers into and pull open.

“…Could it be pushed open?” Lea asked. Isa hummed.

“Maybe,” he said. “Though…who knows what lies beyond it…?”

Lea looked to the side, seeing a drawing of two faces looking at each other. One looks like a boy and the other a girl. The boy is giving something to her, something star-shaped…

Lea bent down to look at the drawing a bit more, running his fingers over the star. “Lea?”

The red head perked. “Huh?” He looked back at Isa, who stared at him with an eyebrow raised. “Uh, what?”

Isa stared at him, hands on his hips…but, he didn’t say anything. Lea stood up to look at him. “What?” He repeated.

The blue haired boy made some faces, contemplating something, before lowers his arms. “Well…let’s just talk,” he said. “Mostly about what to do afterwards.”

Lea blinked. “Afterwards?”

“You know, on the off chance we got out of here,” Isa added.

Lea blinked. So they’re talking about it now? He scratched his cheek. “Sure. But…the whole reason we got involved was because of Subject X…” He looked up at the stone ceiling. “We thought Xehanort may know something- he does but…there could be the other apprentices…” The idea hadn’t even left him before he shook his head. “Nah, maybe not. They probably don’t know what happened as well. We could take the time to grieve and then help rebuild the town.”

“I know,” Isa said. “But…it’s not just those.”

“Hm?” Lea tilted his head.

“There’s also the case of Ventus,” Isa began to pace. “Xehanort is looking for him for a reason. Plus…there’s also that talk we had back at the Enchanted Dominion. How we may had dodged the bullet…the reason why Xehanort had extracted the hearts or inserted darkness into the apprentices’ hearts…” Isa crossed his arms. “…even if we do help rebuild the town, things just won’t ‘end’ even if we do close that door.”

Lea grunted. “Right…” he muttered. “But time is the one thing we need to recover.”

“I know,” Isa nodded slowly. “…But…to be honest, I’m scared.”

Lea looked at him, surprised. “Of what?”

"Of seeing how it is, with my own eyes," Isa admits. "How bad the damages were. If the place could be rebuilt. It...won't be the same."

Lea noted it before lowering his head. He's right about one thing. The town had been through a lot...but the people who survived? They couldn't just magically wish away what happened. Pretend that it didn't happen. If they did, then what would be the reason to rebuild the town in the first place?

"...Yeah. I'm scared too," Lea admitted. "But...though things changed...some things are still the same, wouldn't you say?"

Isa sighed. “…True,” he conceded, eyebrows furrowed. “The castle might not even be the same if Maleficent has done anything to it.”

“You may never know,” Lea said. “Sure, we lived there for a short time but…” he scratched his head, thinking about it. “…Well, actually, we didn’t make any fond memories there. Especially around the end.”

Isa gave a small laugh. “True enough.”

Lea looked back at the door, scrutinizing it. “…You think we could do something to open this thing. Aqua and Mickey are doing what they can with that thing outside, but…”

It doesn’t have a knob, and they aren’t sure what lies beyond it…

Could it even be pushed open?

Lea gave a grunt before he approached it. He looked over at it, raising an eyebrow at it.

He looked to Isa. “Can we find something to try to pry it open?”

Isa raised an eyebrow. “CAN it be pried open?”

“Well, we gotta try,” Lea shrugged as he approached the door. “I mean, it can’t be so simple that you gotta push it open.” Lea presses his hand onto the door and pushed it a little.

-It moved a bit, it creaking.

The two stared at the door. They then gave each other a bewildered stare, and back at the door. “…Should we?” Lea asked. _Try to open the door,_ the rest of the question went unheard, but…

Isa is staring up at it, contemplating. Then, he responded. “…Well, we got nothing to lose.” He approached the door. The two pressed their hands onto the door and pushed.

_-_

With their combined strength, the door creaks open. The two winced at the loud sound but continued to push. The inside revealed to be mostly dark. They looked around inside…before they saw something in the middle. Shining in a soft aura.

“Whoa…is that it?” Lea whispered after they approached it.

Isa looked over at it.

…It looked to be golden in color with a silver box-like guard, a red rain guard, and a gold keychain attached to it. The tooth is an odd shape, like a crown was cut out of it. And is that Mickey’s head as a token?

Huh. It’s a relatively simple looking key.

But…if this IS the Keyblade of the dark realm, Isa supposes that simplicity should fit it well. “…I think it is,” he finally said.

“Huh. Kind of simple looking, isn’t it?” Lea asked.

Isa hummed, looking over at it…before trying to reach out for it.

Lea noticed what he was doing. “you sure you want to do that?” He asked him.

“Since when were you the voice of reason?” Isa asked him in mirth.

“Sorry, but…I don’t think it could accept either of us,” Lea said, hands on his hips.

“…Well,” Isa reached out to grab the blade, “we won’t know-” the area around it reacted with them noticing- before it zaps Isa away with him knocked back, landing on the ground.

“Isa!” Lea cried out. He hurried over to his friend, helping him up. “You okay??”

Isa’s hair looked a bit spikier. He blinked a couple of times, startled. He soon regained himself and shook his head slowly. “Okay, that happened…” he muttered

“Well, nice to know you’re okay,” Lea muttered with a bored look.

“Sorry,” Isa apologized, before trying to fix his hair. “Honestly didn’t expect THAT kind of reaction.”

Lea gave him a ‘no shit’ look, but Isa didn’t notice.

“I guess I can’t go touching weapons like that,” Isa mused before he looked out. “We better check on the others.”

Lea wiped the look off his face. “Should we leave it open?” He asked, jabbing his thumb to the door.

“No,” Isa responded.

“Right. Don’t know what other baddies might come popping out,” Lea mused before he helped Isa up.

The two soon left the room before closing the door behind them.

However, as soon as they checked outside…their eyes went wide in shock.

The skies are an ominous red. Even the clouds had taken a foreboding red color.

“…Okay, that’s just ominous,” Lea muttered nervously. And to be frank, Isa didn’t blame him.

“The Heartless must be getting desperate,” Isa muttered.

There was an explosion, getting their attention. It came from the lower parts of the ‘lands’ below. They looked at each other. They then raced to the edge and looked down at the battlefield.

“What’s going on down there?” Lea asked, as they peered down.

It’s the same ‘wave’ of Heartless that Aqua and Mickey are fighting…but, it seems to have gone into a tornado form. The core is glowing brightly, and the Heartless are moving so fast…as if to protect that ‘core’. Isa narrowed his eyes at it.

_‘It has a second form…?’_ He asked himself. _‘First a ‘tower’ and a ‘wave’ that could become a tornado…rather, a cyclone…’_

…What would it look like if so many of them amassed together?

That’s…honestly something Isa would not let his imagination fill in.

Isa grimaced. “Do you think they can finish this?”

“Well, it would go faster if we can help them,” Lea remarked. “I mean, if they’re like that, maybe some spells could finish it off?”

Isa looked over at it, humming. “…maybe. But…perhaps…?”

“What?” Lea asked him.

“…If we could combine our magic, we could make a strong enough one to weaken it,” Isa figured, tapping his chin.

“I guess there’s that…but how are we going to hit it though?” Lea asked him.

“We both can use Thunder thanks to your training with Mickey,” Isa said to him. “It should just be enough…” Isa paused. He shook his head, looking determined. “No. It SHOULD be enough!”

Lea looked at him before nodding. “All right. Let’s do it.” He stood up and summoned his Keyblade. He held it out before him…and looked at Isa. “Ready?”

Isa blinked at him…before he gave a smile. “Yeah.” Isa put his hand over Lea’s, and they took aim at the core.

The two focused as the tip started to surge in power and electricity. The two held it up skyward, unleashing the spell-

  
And during the battle Aqua and Mickey were firing at the core- before Aqua picked up on something, making her gasp in shock.

“What is it?” Mickey asked her in alarm- before he sensed it himself.

The two looked surprised as a powerful Thunder spell – a Thundaza – was suddenly triggered. The earth ‘cracked’, four bolt pillars started to build up- with a ring of energy closing in – and when it did, it unleashed the power and hit the core for big damage with a mighty thunder crash! There was even electricity coursing through the ground.

…And it did quite the damage onto the core and the Heartless.

“Finish it!” Lea shouted from his position.

The two jerked their heads to the source, seeing the boys above…

…And Aqua nodded. “Right.” She looked at Mickey. “Let’s go!”

Mickey noted it before nodding. “Right!” The two got their weapons ready before they charged in. The two yells as they held their weapons at the ready- and they struck at the core with a powerful ‘X’ slash. The two landed at either side of it, their weapons poised.

The core began to writhe…before it soon dissolved, with the other Shadows with it.

The sky above them soon returned to normal.

Mickey and Aqua looked up, panting. That was…a rather difficult battle. But, they pulled through.

…And they heard Lea whoop. They looked back to the boys, seeing Lea celebrate, grabbing Isa in a hug and twirling them around happily as he laughed, despite Isa’s half-hearted protests.

Mickey gave a smile. “Welp. We couldn’t have done it without them that easily.”

Aqua nodded. “True enough. Though, I think we taught them TOO well if they pulled of a Thundaza together.”

“They probably combined their magic to pull that off,” Mickey figured. “But c’mon, let’s join up with them.”

She nodded.

She and Mickey soon joined up with the two. “That was awesome!” Lea cheered. “I honestly can’t believe we pulled it off!”

Isa nodded. He looked serious. “Speaking of, we located the Keyblade.”

“So it’s on this island?” Mickey asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Lea nodded. “C’mon, we’ll show you.” The two boys soon lead them back to the small cave.

The four soon stood before the wooden door. “It’s through here,” Isa reported.

Mickey looked at them. “So why didn’t you bring it with you guys?”

“Well, Isa tried to pick it up but…he got rejected,” Lea explained. “We think that it’s pretty picky of who gets it.”

“So, we figured that one of you can pick it up,” Isa finished, pushing against the door. It opened easily, showing them the interior.

And right there is the Keyblade, where the two boys last saw it.

They approached the Keyblade. “Is that the one?” Aqua asked Mickey to confirm it.

“Yup, it’s just the key I was looking for,” Mickey confirmed as he approached it. He reaches out…and gently takes it into his hands.

_‘So it chose Mickey,’_ Isa thought.

Mickey looked over at the weapon. “‘The door of darkness…tied by two keys’,” Mickey quoted, as the aura around it faded. He flips it around, to grab the hilt. “‘The door of darkness…to seal the light’.” He held it skyward. “Welp, we got the keys. Now, for the next step.”

“And what’s that?” Isa asked.

“We just need to handle finding our way to the door,” Mickey answered.

They gave hums- before the area shook from the moment. “…that’s not normal,” Lea spoke up.

“No, it’s not,” Mickey agreed- before a bright light appeared, blinding them.

_-_

The four uncovered their eyes…before they looked around.

They seem to be in a new area. Near them seems to be parts of the realm of darkness with open pits.

Lea looked back. The wooden door is still there, wide open… he wondered if it’s okay to even leave it open now. He looked back…

…But, their attention is directed at something else. It’s a set of doors, pure white…and yet, they’re large. Lea briefly wondered how they could have missed that the first time. “…Uh, guys?” Lea began, “…If that’s the door, we may have just found the biggest shortcut ever. Of all time.”

“…It’s open to a crack though,” Isa pointed out.

Indeed. It isn’t open all the way…but, even if it’s just a crack, it can still bring dangers to the rest of the worlds.

“Guys, I need to tell you something important,” Mickey spoke up, getting their attention. “The door between the two realms – it won’t let a heart with light pass through. Not easily. Only darkness will keep spilling out. We can lock the door by using the two Keyblades. But we need help on both sides to help get the door shut.”

“Well, we can easily do some manual labor,” Lea responded.

“Well…I do know someone who can help with this,” Mickey said, before they walked forward. “He’ll be the one to do it.”

“Well, he’ll need some help, wouldn’t he?” Isa asked. “Because I doubt the Heartless are going to sit idly by and let it be closed.”

“I know,” Mickey nodded. “But with the four of us, we could keep them occupied while they close the door.”

“But, it’s the door to Kingdom Hearts, isn’t it?” Lea asked.

“Yes, but not the one you would know,” Mickey explained. “Well, the one Aqua knows I mean,” He corrected himself. He moved his fingers to a pinch. “It’s smaller, sure, but it’s still the heart of many worlds. And even if it’s not a complete Kingdom Hearts, we definitely can’t leave it open like this, or darkness will escape and destroy the remaining worlds.” Mickey brandishes the weapon. “It’s almost time. With this key, and Sora’s in the realm of light, we’re gonna close this door. Now all we need is Riku.”

Lea looked up and noticed something. “Is that him?” He asked, pointing.

They looked- and sure enough, they see someone running towards the door. He has short silver hair, a yellow top, and blue pants. He looked to be around the same age as Isa and Lea.

“Yeah, that’s him alright!” Mickey confirmed. “Come on everyone!”

The four soon took off. But before they could get far, Lea felt…something. He looked to the ‘pit’. _‘What the…how am I sensing it?’_ He asked himself. “Guys! Something’s coming!” He warned them.

“Huh?” Mickey blinked- before a large movement of Heartless emerged – another ‘Demon Tide’.

“Another one?” Aqua asked in shock.

Isa grimaced- but they flew over them. They stared in confusion…but Isa’s eyes went wide in realization. He turned towards a certain someone. “They’re after Riku!”

They looked and to their horror, they’re flying at the boy who isn’t aware of the danger coming right at him!

They took off, as if to stop it…but Aqua ran faster than them. She soon leapt ahead, pointing her Keyblade at them (with Riku oblivious to his savior), the tip glowing. “Back off!” She ordered, before unleashing a chain attack to shackle the Heartless. She landed on the ground, but it jerked about here and there, with Aqua struggling to keep it contained.

Lea noted it…but his eyes narrowed in determination. He called forth his Keyblade. “Isa, Mickey! Help Riku!” He ordered before he took off.

“But-!” Mickey began to protest, before Isa stopped him.

“He’s right,” Isa said as Lea manifested flames to help Aqua keep it contained. “At this rate, the Heartless would no doubt keep trying to aim for someone to take as a victim.”

Mickey hesitated…before he nodded. “Right…” He calls forth the Star Seeker Keyblade, and hands it to Isa. “Here, you can borrow this.”

Isa takes it, looking over at it. He swings it. “Right,” he nodded. Isa soon shot several bolts of Thunder to hit the Heartless.

Aqua groaned as she skidded a bit but kept her footing. _‘I can’t keep this up for long…but…’_ She thought back to their encounter with Xehanort using the Terra illusion. _‘I can’t remain here! Xehanort knows where I am…and he WILL find me. I can’t stay in this realm!’_

Isa was about to launch another spell- before he noted the chains beginning to break. “Watch it!” He warned.

“Aw, crap,” Lea muttered-

Before it shattered. It tried to scoop up everyone with Mickey noticing. “Oh no!” The two boys barely managed to escape-

But it got Mickey and Aqua with the two screaming.

“Aqua! Mickey!” Isa cried out- as Mickey was ‘thrown’ out of the wave. Isa and Lea raced forward, with Isa catching Mickey. Mickey’s shirt dissolved, leaving him in his shorts.

Mickey shook his head before he looked back in surprise. “Aqua!”

Lea continued to run after it, narrowing his eyes. _‘Dammit! At this rate, I won’t make it in time! If only I got something faster…’_ He noticed his Keyblade reacting. He narrowed his eyes and in a sudden burst of speed, he darted forward. “No you DON’T! !” He shouted before his Keyblade ignited and transformed. The ‘wave’ was heading towards the open door- until something suddenly blasted away with Lea. Revving can be heard as it shot ahead faster- and darted up quickly to go through the Heartless. They didn’t lose momentum…but, they did lose their victim, miraculously without damage or anything missing.

Mickey and Isa looked on in surprise at what just happened.

In the air, what looked like a three wheeled motorcycle is there. The ‘wheels’ are made of chakrams, with the rest of the ‘frame’ silver in color, with the exhaust made of crystalized fire.

Aqua looked surprised, sitting in the back of it. She looked around at it. “Lea…! Did you just…?”

Lea, holding the silver and red handlebars, looked back at her with a smile. “I just remembered your lesson, teach,” he said. “Can’t just have you stranded here for any longer, right?”

“Thanks Lea,” she replied, relieved. She looked at the Heartless as they’re flooding through the door. “But they’re going to be back.”

Lea looked back, nodding with a serious look. “I know.” He watched as they flooded into the door before it shuts behind them. Clutching the bars, he willed the Keyblade to ‘lock’ the door…and it responded, shooting a beam of light at the door. After it hits, a keyhole appeared…and they heard something lock. “Just…not by THAT way,” Lea added as the door disappeared.

Lea then looked over at it. He soon directed to the ground. “So, how do I…?” The vehicle glowed- before it turned back into his Keyblade. The two landed lightly on the ground, with Lea catching it. “Okay, that worked.”

Mickey and Isa raced to them. “That was close!” Mickey said.

“Yeah, uh…can’t say the same for you,” Lea remarked to Mickey.

Mickey looked at himself. “Well, I can live without it,” he said as Isa shook his head.

“It’s not over just yet,” he reminded them. “We got work to do.”

“Oh right,” Lea said, being reminded. “Let’s go!”

Mickey and Aqua nodded before they rushed off.

Soon enough, the party got a move on as they got to work defeating any Heartless that tried to make a break for the double doors. With the four working together – two of which masters, and two who were trained by those masters – one couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Heartless. But, even they knew better than to let down their guard.

They kept the Heartless at bay for a long while, biding those who are closing the door enough time to do so.

Mickey, Aqua, Lea and Isa defeated the Darksides that formed (with Lea and Isa taking down one together), stopping the ‘flow’ for a moment. And then the four emerged. Lea looked out to the door, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Hey! You’re not planning on quitting, are you?” He called out to them.

Beyond the door, a boy in a red jumpsuit, yellow balloon shoes and spikey brown hair perked. “Huh?”

“Huh?” Two more folks blinked – a dog and a duck – before they peered in; just as Mickey appeared, glowing in light. “Your Majesty!”

Mickey pulled out the Kingdom Key D. “Now, Sora!” He called out. “Let’s close this door for good!”

“Close it, quick!” The duck exclaimed.

“But…!” the boy, Sora, began to protest.

“Don’t worry about us,” Aqua assured him.

Mickey nodded. “There will always be a door to the light.”

“We’ll make our own path back too,” Isa added.

“Who are those two?” the dog garbed in green asked…before noticing someone. “And…is that Master Aqua? What’s she doing with His Majesty?”

“Who?” Sora blinked.

“Focus, Goofy- we don’t have time to ask questions!” The duck garbed in blue pointed out.

“Oh, right!” Goofy nodded. “Gotcha, Donald!”

“But-!”

Goofy looked at the boy. “Sora, you can trust King Mickey. And I know you can trust Master Aqua too.”

“Hurry- they’re coming!” the silver haired youth pointed out to them.

“Donald, Goofy, thank you,” Mickey said to the two as they continued to try and close the door.

The doors began to close more, without something pushing back against it.

The youth looked back at Sora. “Take care of her,” he requested. Sora looked at him.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be in good hands!” Lea assured the kid. “Just have faith in your bud!”

Sora looked surprised. Faith…he looked at Riku…before nodding. He looked back at the two, at Lea and Isa…yet, for some reason when he blinked- he thought he saw someone else in their place, before they turned back. Sora blinked before shaking his head. He soon pushed the door closed with their help. Sora and Mickey then raised their Keyblades before the weapons gathered power to release a ray…to eventually make the doorway disappear.

…And everything went dark…

_~o~_

…

They had been sitting there, in the dark, for a while now.

“…So…anyone know a way back out of here?” Lea asked finally. “What’s going to happen to us?”

They weren’t sure what happened…but, Lea, Isa and Aqua found themselves separated from Mickey and Riku. Simply sitting in the dark.

“…I dunno,” Aqua answered softly.

Lea grunted. “…You know, you’re supposed to be a Master, right? You think with all that happened, the portals between light and darkness can finally be stabilized.” Lea shrugged. “…Just saying.”

Aqua thought about it. “Could it be possible?” Aqua asked.

“Well…may as well try, right?” Isa asked. “Better than sitting here in the darkness.”

Aqua hummed. “You have a point.” She stood up. “With the worlds being restored…it might be worth a try.” She called forth her Keyblade. “There is one place we need to go.”

They looked at her before standing up. “Where’s that?” Lea asked her.

She held it before her. “Where I hid Ven…and where it all ‘started’ for me.” The tip glowed. “Once the Land of Departure…now, Castle Oblivion.”

Lea had a hand on her shoulder, having her pause. “Actually…how about we go someplace else first?” He suggested with her noticing. “As much as a hurry we can be in, we need to at least get some new clothes and maybe more training.”

She hummed. “…Right.” He has a point. It wouldn’t be a good idea to just jump to a world with barely anything. It would be for the best to head someplace else. Perhaps…something more familiar to them. “Then, I know a better place. Let’s get you two home then.” She soon pointed out…and a beam is fired from the tip. It connects to the ‘air’, and formed a portal made of light.

“…Wow, that actually worked,” Lea said, amazed.

“Yeah,” Isa nodded. He made a face. “…So, we’re heading to Radiant Garden then?” Aqua nodded.

_‘Then…we’re going to see how bad the damage is…’_ Lea thought.

Aqua turned to them. “Ready?” She asked them.

The two took a deep breath…before they held each other’s hands. “…Yeah,” Lea nodded.

They looked to the portal…before entering it…

…and soon exited out of it…and stared out what’s before them. Various emotions formed within them. Horror, shock, sadness…

Before them is a castle. They don’t recognize it, but there are parts that let them know it was once the castle Hollow Bastion…and below the castle are ruins of a town.

“…Well. That is some serious damage…” Lea muttered.

Aqua held her hands over her chest, releasing a sad breath. Hearing about it is one thing…but it’s a different matter entirely upon seeing it with your own eyes…

They stood there in silence for a long while…

It was Isa, who broke the silence. “…If the world itself is restored, then maybe the people can end up coming home.” He looked up at the darkening sky. “…Maybe, there is hope for this place…”

“Yeah…” Lea murmured softly. He hummed. “I wonder…”

“What?” Isa asked him.

“There’s someplace I wanna check,” he said. “C’mon!” He soon heads off.

The blue haired duo looked at each other, before following him.

Lea lead them to a direction. “Where are you taking us?” Aqua asked him.

Lea didn’t seem to hear her, turning a corner.

They peered over- seeing him look over something. “Sweet, it’s still covered!” Lea grinned.

“Covered?” Isa parroted before Lea soon shoved the large rock…and it moved out of the way to show an opening.

“Yeah! I found this before we left to become apprentices,” Lea explained. “Hopefully they’re still there.”

“They?” Aqua parroted, but Lea went into the opening.

Isa sighed. “What could he have found that’s so important?”

“…Well, let’s find out,” she suggested before they followed him in there.

They walked down the path…and saw something bright. Confused, they followed the light…

…And what they saw took their breath away.

It’s in the dark…yet, what gave a soft light are several flowers. They glowed…as if they were touched by the soft light of the moon.

“They’re still here and untouched,” Lea breathed out. He sounds relieved. “That’s a relief…”

Isa looked around, surprised. He kneeled to look at one of the flowers near them closely. They look…familiar. Suddenly, it hits him, and he looked at Lea in surprise. “Lea…are they…?”

“Yeah! Lunar Tears,” Lea nodded.

“Lunar Tears?” Aqua parroted.

“Very rare flowers that grows in dark places,” Lea explained. “They don’t need sunlight…but, in the stories my mom told me when I was little, they’re considered ‘flowers of hope’. And they can grant any wish you got.” He gave a small chuckle. “Though, that’s a fairy tale.”

Isa stood up. “And…you said you found them before we left for the castle…?”

“Yup. I meant to show it to you and the others but…well, things happened,” Lea explained. He didn’t have to elaborate on what the ‘things’ are. He had a relieved smile. “I’m glad this place is still okay.”

Isa gave a soft smile. “I guess that’s some bit of good luck there.”

Lea plucks a flower. “Yeah. But…this just means, we got a lot of work ahead of us,” he said, looking at it. “Us…and anyone else who returned to our world.” He held it to his chest with a sad smile.

Aqua gave a soft smile. She gently takes Isa with her to Lea…before she embraced the two. They gave confused grunts.

“You two are strong…but…you’re overdue in a little something, aren’t you?” She asked them softly. Their faces shifted to surprise, realizing what she meant.

…Tears filled Lea’s eyes. He held onto Aqua, feeling weak in his knees. Hearing Lea’s sniffling, tears ran down Isa’s cheeks as well. He leaned into the woman, covering his face in her shirt. Aqua gently got onto her knees with them, holding them close…letting them cry.

As they did…did Aqua also unleash her tears as well. Letting them fall, after holding them back for so long. For so, so long…

Isa sniffled. “…Yeah… We’ve been in there for that long…” He mumbled. “The others will probably see ghosts, but…no.”

“…It’ll be the same for me too,” the woman said softly.

“…I’m sure there’s people who knows you will be happy to see you,” Lea assured her as he drew away, his eyes red and puffy. But he was smiling.

“What about you two though?” She asked them softly.

“We’ll deal,” Lea answered. “…But somebody has to tell them what really happened.”

Isa nodded meekly. “Yeah…” The sat there. “…Can we stay here a little longer?”

Aqua nodded. “Of course,” she said.

The three leaned into each other, releasing their pain into the cave. They don’t care how long they stayed there, even when night had fallen.

In a place of untouched beauty, a remnant of their world…

This is the light at the end of the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Fragmentary Passage has come to an end. But, it's the start of a new journey now. It's almost the end of this story. Like, holy crap.
> 
> Anyways...I know it's sort of early for Lea to get a Glider, but the head-cannon I got going on is that Keyblades could respond to the 'will' of the user at times. They're connected to hearts after all so...I'm rolling with it. (Considering that Lea's Keyblade merely vanished in the game, since he didn't have proper control of it yet). And a spiffy, three-wheeled motorcycle? Why not? It's a thing.
> 
> As for Saix and Axel? They're still fine. But they're still unaware of the existence of the originals at this time. Also, if this is following Days, it would be Day 9 when they got out of the dark realm. I'm assuming that Sora defeating Ansem took place on Day 6...so three days had passed before they got out. 
> 
> The 'place' they were at before getting out of there is a similar place Sora, Donald and Goofy were in in Kingdom Hearts II - it was closer to the light realm for Aqua to manifest a Light Portal. But it's very limited, considering a few things. While it allowed Keyblade users to go from place to place in Kingdom Hearts Chi time, they're only used to open the 'way' in or out of the world. Yeah.
> 
> Also, the Lunar Tears are from Nier and Nier: Automata. They're the only things connected to Square Enix that would pop in here - those that aren't Final Fantasy anyway. 
> 
> As for them being out? Well...they aren't stupid. They know that Xehanort would find them eventually. What's the use staying in there, yes? It's something I had decided a while ago. Due to this, though, things will be changing. And soon. 
> 
> With that, only a couple remain now. Stay tuned, and stay safe ya'll!


	9. The Next Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both sides are caught up in Castle Hollow Bastion. 
> 
> The boys have a chat, learning of what's changed.
> 
> Plans are made, and a new journey begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before we get started, lemme say a few things:
> 
> Day Six of Roxas's existence (and him meeting Xemnas at the Dark Margin), Sora defeated Ansem. It's a rough estimate of mine, it isn't absolute, if only for the characters to begin their thing. The day the beginning of the chapter took place is Day 9.
> 
> There's also mentions of Final Fantasy VII characters - I wanted to keep a few things here and there, with a Kingdom Hearts spin to 'em. 
> 
> In any case, enjoy!

_(“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”_

_-Unknown)  
  
_

It was less than a week ago that Sora and his group had arrived at Hollow Bastion. They ousted Maleficent, found the missing Princesses of Light…and ran into Ansem, the once kind ruler of the world, who had taken over Sora’s friend, Riku. Sora had to turn the Keyblade onto himself to not only free Kairi’s heart, but also the princesses’ hearts as well. He didn’t stay as a Heartless for long, however. Kairi brought him back to life, restoring his heart and body with her power. They had to bail from the world, returning to Traverse Town for safety.

Not even a day after, the trio returned to the world, finding that the Princesses hadn’t left the world at all, remaining there to keep the darkness at bay. Sora left to seal the Keyhole to the world…but find a bitter truth when Ansem is defeated: the ‘walls’ that had kept the worlds separate will be rebuilt, and while the worlds would be restored back to the realm of light, they wouldn’t be as connected as they were back then. Knowing this, Sora sealed the Keyhole, staving off the darkness. He spent the next few days preparing for what would be the hardest fight ever.

The day after Sora’s fight with a mysterious man in a black coat, they bid the boy and his friends a safe journey as they head towards the ‘edge’ of darkness.

They were only able to tell that Sora had managed to succeed when the Princesses were covered in light. Belle and the Beast had come from the same world, and it was she who informed them of what happened. With the Door of Darkness locked, it’s time for them to return to their worlds.

Now, with the worlds at peace once more, could they begin rebuilding their world.

…Of course, they’re in no way prepared for some…unexpected surprises.

_-_

It was only a few days after the Princesses returned to their worlds, did they begin their search in the library. They split up for now, combing through the room, searching.

A brown-haired man looked to a woman with brown hair and a pink dress. “Aerith, did you find the blueprints yet?” He asked her.

She shook her head. “Still in the process,” she answered.

The man grunted. “I see. Let’s keep looking.”

“I don’t see why you couldn’t ask me to help build up the town,” a blonde man with a pair of goggles over his head grumbled, reading through the books.

A black-haired girl in green held up a finger. “First off, we finally got you off smoking.” She held up a second finger. “Second, as easily as it could be done, you’d be more towards building Gummi ships.”

“I started to build up on the cranes, didn’t I?” He retorted. “Git your half-assed act together, Yuffie!” He lowered the book to look at the de facto leader. “Hey, Leon, why don’t we ask Scrooge for the money to help build up the town? He’s a tycoon, ain’t he?”

“He is,” Leon nodded. “Though…”

“Then what’s the goddamn problem?” The man complained.

“If it’s the Heartless, we can probably take care of them,” Yuffie said. “Sora did help bring back the worlds, didn’t he? And Cid even went as far as to get Cloud back for us!” She jabbed her thumb to a blond-haired young man going through the books, ignoring the others.

“Though, to be honest, it’ll take more than the five of us to rebuild the place,” Yuffie added.

Leon grunted at that. She isn’t wrong. It’s just the five of them now. They would need more help to rebuild the town to how it was. If there’s any other people, they could hope that they, too, had returned to this world. But to even do that, they would need money. And Leon would rather not get them into debt…unless-

His thoughts were cut as they heard something knock. “What was that?” He asked.

They stopped what they were doing to look at him. “What?” Yuffie asked.

He waited. He didn’t say a word…and then, something knocked again. They looked just as bewildered. Aerith was looking at the door leading to the first floor of the entrance hall. “…Uh…should there be someone coming?” Yuffie whispered.

Leon held up his hand, summoning his weapon – a sword with a revolver gun attached. He cocks the weapon as he narrowed his eyes. Aerith put away the book she has, holding her hand out to him. “Hold on. Let me take care of it,” she said before she simply walks to the door (ignoring Leon’s blanch).

“Wait, Aerith-!” Leon began as she got to the door.

She opens the door a crack. “Yes-?” Her eyes went wide. She opened the door all the way, covering her mouth in shock.

“Aerith? What’s wrong?” Leon asked as he approached- but once he set his eyes on what…or rather, who is behind the door, they widened.

Before them is three people. Two boys, one with red, spikey hair and the other with blue messy hair; they both look worse for wear. Taller than the two by a few inches, is a woman with blue hair, wearing an unusual outfit.

The boy with red hair, missing his orange vest, his white tank top stained, a yellow and brown cloth tied around his arm, and pants torn, scratched the back of his head. “Hey, uh…” He gave a sheepish smile. “We’re back.”

…Leon’s weapon clattered to the floor. The boys' eyes followed it to the ground.

“…I think we may have broken him,” the red-haired youth remarked to the blue haired boy. His blue high collared jacket is unzipped, showing more of his black shirt, his white pants dirtied and torn, and he has an ‘X’ scar between his eyes.

The blue haired boy gave a sheepish look as the blue haired woman stood there, awkward.

Yuffie peered in, muttering, “…Huh?” She noted the two, staring at them. “Hmm…you look…familiar.”

The red-haired boy looked at her. “Wait…aren’t you Yuffie?”

She blinked. “You know me?”

“Well, yeah.” He had his hands on his chest. “It’s me. You know, Lea.”

Yuffie scrunches her eyes, staring at him. The boy named Lea stood there, surprisingly patient. They narrowed a little bit more- and then…her eyes went wide. “Wait…! Lea, as in…!” She looked to the blue haired boy. “Then…is this Isa??”

“That’s right,” the blue haired boy nodded to confirm.

“Oh my…!” Yuffie muttered. “How are you…? It’s been ten years since you guys have been gone!”

“Uh, nine,” Isa corrected. “But nine years passed for US, I guess.”

“But…how?” Aerith asked them. “When the Heartless came from the castle…we had assumed…”

“Yeah, what happened to you guys? How’d you survive? And…” Yuffie looked over at them. “Other than your trashed outfits, you hadn’t aged. Like. At all.”

The two of them looked at each other. And back at the others. “Well…long story short: Isa and I were trapped in the realm of darkness,” Lea answered.

“…Huh?” Cid sounded confused.

Even Leon is confused. How are they…?

Aerith looked over at everyone, before waving her hands. “Now, now everyone,” she announced, getting their attention. “How about we take a break?” She looked at the blue haired woman. “And…you are?”

The woman blinked at having been addressed. “Um…my name is Aqua,” she introduced herself.

“Aqua?” Cid parroted. “Never heard of ya.”

“Well, I never interacted much aside from a few friends,” Aqua muttered.

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. _‘This is going to be a long night, I can tell,’_ he thought. But, he’ll have to hear on what they would say. How Lea and Isa, who went missing with the other staff of the castle, suddenly came back, with an unknown woman to boot. “Well…you better explain what happened,” he said to them.

“Right,” Lea said…before he looked serious. “We’ll explain…everything.”

It would be a long while later, with tea set up and some snacks. They listened to Lea and Isa as they explained what happened days before that fateful day when the Heartless invaded the town. How they escaped into the dark realm, and running into Aqua, who was trapped down there a year prior, and of their involvement in helping Sora seal the door to darkness.

Once they’re finished, they processed what they were just told. “…So, lemme git this straight,” Cid began. “You mean to say that the ‘Ansem’ we heard that made the whole Heartless mess…wasn’t the same guy? That it was that Xehanort guy?” he looked incredulous to Aqua. “And that Xehanort guy is your friend possessed? ?”

“Yes,” Aqua simply nodded.

That was…a LOT to take in. But…it made sense.

Yuffie had a flat look. “…Okay!” She held her head. “My mind’s…blown.”

Leon nodded to himself. “But…it made sense now. Still, I can’t believe we mixed up the guy. We only knew Ansem by name.” They never saw his face before since he would mostly be in his castle. So of course they would believe what an imposter would say. Still… He looked at Lea and Isa. “And you two…you hardly changed because there was no time ‘flowing’ in the realm of darkness.”

Isa nodded. “Lea and I barely escaped from Xehanort – he turned on the other apprentices, striking them down.”

“How’d you guys even do that?” Yuffie asked. She gestured to the middle of her face. “And did you get that scar during your time down there?”

Isa shook his head. “No. Xehanort wanted Lea and I to help out with something…but, I just had a bad…feeling about something. We were supposed to be given those black coats, but we weren’t told the specifics ‘why’.”

Lea nodded. “Yeah. I…I dunno. I just listened to Isa for once, so I came up with a ‘grand’ idea to see what they were up to…” He leaned against the table, heaving a sigh. “…Only to nearly get killed ourselves by the Heartless in the manufactory. We barely got out of there, with Isa getting his scar…only to see what happened to Even and Ienzo. And Ienzo’s a little kid, a couple of years younger than us.”

Aerith covered her mouth in shock. “How awful…!”

“Well that’s just rotten,” Cid grumbled. He fixed them with a look. “So what happened to the real Ansem them?”

“We don’t know,” Lea admitted, shaking his head. “Probably a Heartless himself by now, but if he’s lucky…probably still kicking. The whole reason we even tried to break in before was because of Subject X.”

“Subject X?” Leon parroted.

“A girl. Ansem was studying her, since she doesn’t have her memories,” Isa explained. “Lea and I visited her when we got the chance, but on the day we went to free her…she’s gone. Vanished without a trace. She’s the main reason why be became Ansem’s apprentices. If to find out what happened to her.”

“So that’s why…” Cid muttered. He soon got out a small stack of papers. “During his journey, Sora had been finding reports made by Ansem. We just happened to find the others, and with them combined…well, one of them definitely caught my eye. There’s technically thirteen reports though it’s penned 0 to 12.”

“So, that guy made reports, huh?” Lea rolled his eyes as Isa took them. “That guy has got a thing for stealing identities…”

“Right…but, it’s the last report that interested us,” Leon explained as Isa looked over at them, silently reading them.

Isa picked up one of them, Report 0, humming. “…This report…the first one to be penned…” He looked up. “I think this one is made by the original Ansem – all the others are made by Xehanort.”

“You can tell?” Yuffie asked him.

“One time when Lea and I got in, I overheard Ansem trying to chew out Xehanort for trying to make a report,” Isa explained. “How he had made ‘more reports’ without his approval.”

“I was keeping an eye out for anything else, while we were heading to that ‘chamber’,” Lea spoke up. “So, I didn’t hear any of that.”

“Right,” Isa muttered.

“But what’s interesting about the ‘last one’?” Aqua asked, tilting her head.

“Well…take a gander at it,” Cid said as he hands it to Isa.

He looked over at the report.

_“ Ansem Report Number 13  
Where does the body go when it separates from the heart? If the soul remains within the body, is it still considered to be deceased?_

_When the heart returns to the Heartless, the physical form disappears. But that is merely true in this world. Perhaps the body exists in another form in another world._

_If that is the case, then it is possible for one to exist in two worlds._

_A being that is neither darkness nor light; belonging to nowhere; abandoned by its heart; a mere shell of its former self._

_The relation between the heart and body is complex. However, I am certain that if your self exists here, then by definition, the other cannot truly ‘exist’._

_The other, the one which does not exist, shall be dubbed, ‘Nobody’.”_

Isa raised an eyebrow. _‘Nobody?’_

But…this report…

His mind automatically thinks back to what happened to Even and Ienzo, and possibility the other apprentices.

_‘Could it be…?’_

He looks to Lea and Aqua. “Look through this,” he hands it to them.

The two got a gander themselves…with Lea looking surprised. “…Huh? Nobody?”

“That’s what he called it,” Isa responded.

“Why is this relevant?” Aqua asked.

Isa hummed. “…I think, if this report is right…maybe the apprentices, and Xehanort didn’t truly ‘die’, in a sense. In fact…that could be what would have happened to Lea and I had we stayed.”

“But, that also means that we’re not even done yet,” Lea pointed out. “That means if they made these… ‘Nobodies’ then what does that mean?”

“It might mean that the possessed Xehanort also has a Nobody, and that it could be what happened to the victims who lost their hearts to the Heartless – their bodies left behind – their empty shells. They became Nobodies.”

Lea pursed his lips. “That…can’t be all that simple, is it?” Lea questioned. “Wouldn’t there be…I dunno, a criteria for a ‘Nobody’ to be made?”

Isa rubbed his chin. “…If I had to guess…it would be a strong heart.”

Aqua hummed. _‘It sounds about right,’_ she thought. _‘Lea and Isa’s hearts are also strong…if they were to lose their hearts…’_

That…is a disconcerting thought.

Silence set over them. For a moment or two.

Until Lea spoke up. “So…what do we do now? We know a few other things, but ‘what next’?”

“What next?” Leon parroted.

“Yeah. I mean…you guys are aware of what happened now, but, there’s also a few other things to take care of,” Lea said, leaning against his arm. “Construction going on, things happening behind the scenes, things like that.”

Aqua hummed in thought. “…Well, we would have to inform Yen Sid about this.”

“Who?” Yuffie asked.

“He’s Mickey’s teacher, an old Keyblade Master,” Lea answered. “He should also know what’s going on. Can’t have many people be left in the dark, could we?”

Cid grunted. “I guess so.”

“So…uh, how do we get there?” Lea asked, shifting his eyes a bit. “I know it’s another world and all, but…I guess we could use a ship or something.”

“I doubt it,” Isa said. “Mostly because…well, that would be hard at this point, is it?”

“Well, you aren’t wrong,” Yuffie said.

“Well shit…” Lea muttered. “…Well, I’m sure we’ll think of something. While we do that, we could help out a bit on the reconstruction.”

“Right…but…Lea, Isa, are you two sure?” Lea asked them.

“Hey, Radiant Garden’s still our home,” Lea pointed out. “We may have been orphans, but like hell am I going to sit around on my ass and do nothing!”

When Lea said ‘Radiant Garden’; Leon, Yuffie and Cid perked. And a far-away expression crosses their face.

“Radiant…Garden…” Leon muttered, a hand over his temple. “Yes…that’s the original name of our world…”

Lea blinked- but then he remembered that Mickey told them that Radiant Garden hadn’t been known by its name for nine years. “Huh…nine years is a long time to remember a world known for pretty gardens,” he muttered. “Especially if it made you guys forget it.”

“So why even forget it?” Isa asked them.

“This world was taken over by Maleficent,” Yuffie answered…before she crossed her arms with an annoyed look. “Though…she probably had another base outside of the castle.”

“Well, that figures,” Lea grumbled.

“What happened to her anyway?” Aqua asked them.

“Well, she got toast,” Yuffie answered. “Sora told us that Ansem- er, well, I guess Xehanort?” She shook her head. “Whatever. Sora told us Riku got possessed by our identity thief and used a Keyblade made from the hearts of the princesses to ‘unlock’ her heart. They defeated her…but she’s gone.”

The three of them had blank stares.

“…Irony~,” Lea said in a weird tone.

“No kidding,” Isa agreed. “But Xehanort is still out there. We’ll have to assume that Riku was taken over by his Heartless, who’s calling himself Ansem still.”

“Right,” Lea nodded. “To be honest, we don’t know what’s out there. I got a feeling that our current skill level may not be enough. Especially if we’re going to figure out where Sora and his pals went after the door’s closed.”

It was a surprise to them that Aqua is a ‘master’ of a Keyblade – and that there’s technically a society where there’s a select few who train to use the weapons to protect the light. And that Lea also has one himself. It would be nice for them to stay…but, Lea has a point. They don’t know what’s out there, and the fact that ‘Xehanort’ is still running around. His Heartless is defeated…but, there is still his Nobody.

“…Well,” Aerith began, getting their attention. “You got time, at least. Take it as you will.”

“Man, I hope so,” Lea admitted, scratching his head. “It feels like time’s a fickle thing. Whether we got it or not…who knows?”

“Well, if time is all you have…” Aerith looked over at the two. “Why not take the time to have a long, overdue bath? You’ll need both it and a fresh set of clothes before you move on.”

The two sat there with blank stares, suddenly very aware of the dirt and grime on them from their time in the dark realm. “…A bath sounds nice,” Lea admitted, his cheeks turning pink.

Isa’s cheeks are also pink. “…Yeah,” he agreed. “Though, where could we even find clothes? Do we have to dig in the ruins?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Yuffie assured them, waving it off. “We got ya covered.”

Aerith looked at her. “You should also bathe too. Ten years IS a long time after all.”

Aqua flushed red herself. “Um…right. That is true.”

_-_

Lea sighed in content. “Life is beautiful…” he said happily, lying back on the bed.

Isa shook his head, smiling. “You goof,” he said. The two have bath towels around their waists, with Isa using another to dry his hair. “But…that was a nice bath…”

The two were surprised to find that the water still runs pretty well. Leon and the others had gotten the things they brought from their ‘home’ in Traverse Town, from towels, soap, and oodles of other things, like shampoo, loofahs, and such. It felt so nice to have yourself and your hair cleaned…

The bedrooms themselves had been cleaned up of dust and such. The boys are in one of those rooms – Isa’s old room.

Isa gazed at Lea with a bored stare. “And dry yourself off a bit better,” he told him, “or you’ll catch a cold.”

“I know, I know,” Lea groaned, sitting up to do so. He rubbed the towel over his head vigorously. He hummed. “…Still, that was…some reunion, huh?”

Isa nodded slowly. “It was,” he lowered the towel from his head, turning away to dry off the rest of him. “Still…looks like there’s work left to be done. Who knows what Xehanort – well, his Nobody, could be planning now?” Lea stood up from the bed, turning away to dry the rest of himself off. “We’ve gotten ourselves real deep, haven’t we?”

Lea hummed, nodding a bit. To think this all started when they met that girl. Well, this all started because Lea wanted to check out the castle of their ruler.

As they put on the undergarments (clean, nice and clean underpants!) provided for them, a thought came to Lea. “…Hey, Isa?”

“Yeah?”

“…What would have happened, if we produced Nobodies ourselves?” Lea asked. He looked uncertain. “Would…would they even have our memories?”

“I’d assume so,” Isa replied.

“Right. But…they would be without ‘hearts’, though.” Lea’s shoulders slumped. “…If they had been without it for about nine…or ten years…what do you think they would become?”

Isa blinked at him. “What makes you say that?”

“I dunno. It’s…just a thought, really,” Lea sighed.

“Well, sometimes, our minds can be our own enemy,” Isa said. “We’ve seen that firsthand in the dark realm. With our ‘mirror’ selves. We had to literally face them to be able to beat them.”

Though…Isa couldn’t help but think about it himself now. If they had Nobodies…what would they become, at this time? With having no hearts, rather, the ability to feel certain emotions…what would a person do, if they don’t have any restraints of their hearts? Not held back by fear, or…even a conscious? They wouldn’t feel guilty, they wouldn’t feel sad…yet, they couldn’t feel joy, or love either. Emotions is what makes a person. You remember certain things that can spawn them…but, the heart can ‘feel’ the emotions spawned.

If all they had are memories, yet without a heart to ‘feel’ them…it wouldn’t be the same, would it? The emotions behind those memories would have lost their edge. But…are they truly ‘alive’?

Isa gave a sigh. “…But, if they had lived for a while, not even feeling a thing, only having memories to rely on… I think I would feel sorry for them. They’re ‘alive’, but…not, at the same time.”

Lea blinked at him. “What makes you say that?” Lea asked him, sitting on the bed.

Isa sat down beside him. “Well…what makes memories precious is how you feel about them. Some memories can be good, but others, not so. Our memories help us be able to recall what certain things are like. But our hearts are what can GIVE those memories meaning.” He shook his head. “I guess, what I’m saying here is, experiencing life, facing what could come, good or bad…if you could take the ‘bad’ and turn it into something else…I suppose that’s what makes someone alive. We could make memories, sure, but they wouldn’t hold a special meaning if they don’t leave a ‘mark’, per say.”

Lea looked at him…before leaning against Isa. “…When you put it like that…I guess my ideology’s kind of trash, huh?”

“Well, you do leave a mark on some people,” Isa said to him. He gave a smirk. “Believe me, I couldn’t forget you even if I could.” _‘Not that I’d want to.’_

Lea sat up with a huffy look, lightly shoving him. “You jerk,” he grunted as Isa laughed.

Isa calmed down, before looking out the window. “But, seriously. Our hearts could be like our ‘minds’. The ‘body’ can be separate from them…and they could attain their own wills, and their own abilities. To be honest, I’d rather not find out.” He looked at Lea. “I’d rather keep my heart, thanks.”

“Right.” Lea glanced out the window. “So…what do you think Yen Sid is like? We heard bits of him from Mickey, but…”

“Probably an older wise man who taught Mickey what he knew about the Keyblade,” Isa answered with a shrug. “…And more informed than any of us are.”

“I guess that’s true,” Lea mused. “But…gee, the others sure have grown. Squall’s got toned.”

“Well, he had to be, with the Heartless and all.”

“Yeah…” Lea laid back onto the bed. “Seriously though. I can get the name change – the goof probably thought he couldn’t use his real name until he could restore our world to its former glory.”

“Yeah. He was pretty cold back in the day,” Isa mused. “But, I guess he had to rely on others over the years now. He acts like a loner but…”

“Yeah.”

“Though, what happened with Cloud?” Lea then asked. “I mean, he’s never been the silent type.”

“Who knows? But, he might not be willing to answer though.”

Lea sighed, “I guess. It’s probably been hard on him too. Guess we’ve all gone through our own brand of hell, huh?”

“So it seems,” Isa nodded. “They dealt with the Heartless outside, and being there when our world fell…meanwhile, we struggled to survive in the dark realm ourselves.”

“So, what do you think happened?” Lea asked him. “We could speculate.”

“The imagination can be a cruel thing at times,” Isa pointed out.

Lea was about to protest- but at that moment, the door knocked. “Hello~!” Yuffie called out, with Lea sitting up. “I brought some clothes! Hope you’re decent.”

They looked down at themselves, still in their underwear. “Uh, hold on a sec! I’ll get them,” Lea said as he got up and hurried to the door.

He opened the door a crack, seeing Yuffie. She has bundles of clothes picked out for the two. He reaches out and takes them. “Thanks.” He closes the door.

Yuffie looked surprised at the abruptness, before she huffed. “Well, he didn’t change much,” she muttered.

“I heard that!” Lea retorted from behind the door.

Yuffie pursed her lips. She held up some footwear. “You want your shoes?”

A pause.

Lea opens the door, snags them as well, and closed it.

Yuffie sighed.

It would be later that the boys would be in cleaner clothes. Mostly basic, but…better than nothing.

Lea looked over at the red shirt over his form, and a pair of black pants. His shoes are brown with black laces. Not like his old one but…it’ll have to do. He messed with his hair a little, having them stick out in the back. “While we’re on topic, what do you think happened to Mickey and Riku?” Lea asked Isa.

“Who knows?” Isa asked, adjusting his shirt a little. It’s white and long sleeved, and he has a pair of black pants and black shoes. “But, hopefully, they would have found a way out.”

Lea grunted. He hopes so too. Lea looked down at his shoes. His old ones were beginning to form a hole in them, so that wasn’t…comfortable. Lea wiggled his toes. No holes in neither sock nor shoe. He had a look of content on his face. _‘I am no longer restrained by bad footwear anymore,’_ he thought.

Isa looked relaxed as well, with Yuffie regarding them. “Wow. I wouldn’t have thought to see you two THAT happy before,” Yuffie remarked.

“Hey, we’ve been in the realm of darkness for years, of course we’d be like this,” Lea pointed out.

“Point taken,” Yuffie conceded.

Lea looked over at her. “…So…where’s everyone else? From the orphanage, and…you know.”

Yuffie noted the question before humming. “Well, a lot of citizens got scattered. Either that or…the Heartless,” she said. “Among the ones that got sent away…a girl named Kairi. She’s also from here. She was on the islands where Sora and Riku came from apparently. I thought the name was familiar, and the fact she came from there…so I had to check. Turns out, she was from here as well.”

“Kairi?” Lea parroted before thinking. “Hmm…”

“Isn’t that the girl who Aqua saved from the Unversed?” Isa asked.

“…Yeah, I think so.”

Isa hummed. _‘It looks like the protective spell Aqua casted on her had her sent to the islands,’_ he thought. She grew up in safety, with nothing to worry about. Though, they hadn’t seen her at all in this world. “So, riddle me this: if she came from here…shouldn’t she return here?”

Yuffie thought about it. “Well…she would. But Sora relayed to us on what the Princesses told him: since she considered the islands her ‘home’, she would have returned there.”

“huh,” Lea mused. “Guess it wouldn’t be the case for the three of us, Mickey and Riku. We were behind the ‘door’ in the dark realm – especially for Aqua since her home’s…” he scratched his head. “Yeah.”

“Ouch,” Yuffie winced.

“Speaking of, where’s Aqua and the others now?” He asked.

“Talking to Leon and the others right now,” Yuffie answered. “She got done earlier than you two. Her clothes are being washed, but…you sure you guys want to toss your old ones out?”

They gave her flat looks. “We’re sure,” they answered.

“Right…” Yuffie cleared her throat. “Well, if you guys want to see what they’re up to, I’ll lead you there.”

“Thanks, Yuffie,” Isa said.

“Okay,” Lea responded.

The three of them arrived back at the Library, with Aqua wearing a blue sweater and pants with a pair of slippers, seen talking with Aerith and Leon.

…Though, Aqua looked shocked about something, before looking away, with Aerith and Leon sad.

Lea blinked at that as they approached. “Uh…did we come at the wrong time?” He asked them.

The three noticed the trio approaching them. “Oh, not at all,” Aerith assured them – but her smile is pained. “We were just talking.”

Lea hummed. “Well…all right then. I won’t ask what you’re talking about. Still, nice to see that you’re getting acquainted, Aqua,” he said to Aqua. “I had a feeling you could talk better with Aerith here.”

Aqua nodded. “Yes, well…” Aqua’s expression shifted to sadness. “I asked them about someone I knew back then – a friend. But…it seems that he is no longer here.”

The two looked surprised.

“…Oh,” Lea’s voice was soft. “Uh…” He cleared his throat. “Um…” He helplessly shrugged. “I got nothing.”

Aqua shook her head at him. “A lot of things can happen. I didn’t know what happened to him.”

“No one knows, actually,” Leon said. “Cloud’s hit the hardest, though. They were close.”

Lea perked. “Wait, are you talking about- oh god, not Zack!” He held his head. “I liked him! He’s goofy, but at least he treats us better than the other ones!”

“Hey, easy,” Leon held out his hand to calm him. “We aren’t sure if he’s dead…but, he hadn’t come back at all for ten years.”

Lea lowered his arms. “I hope he’s okay…”

“We all do too,” Aerith replied softly.

A moment of silence went by, for the black-haired boy who left years ago, to learn about what it means to be a ‘hero’. Lea and Isa never imagined that Aqua had met up with him, including Terra. They really liked Zack. To hear that he’s been missing for years…

“…Hopefully we could run into him,” Isa said softly.

Some of them nodded.

“So when are you guys leaving?” Leon asked them.

“We just got here, so we’ll stay here for tonight,” Aqua said. “Then, we’ll have to head out tomorrow, early as we can.”

“So soon?” Yuffie asked them.

“I know. But…Yen Sid has to know what’s going on,” Aqua answered. “What really happened ten years ago.”

“So, we gotta pack up some things?” Lea asked.

“Mostly some supplies that we might need,” Aqua said. “From food, clothes and such.”

That does make sense. You may never know what could happen.

“Well, why don’t you stay for the night?” Aerith asked them. “There are a few Moogles that came here too; they could be of help.”

“Moogles? Oh, those little guys?” Lea asked, thinking. “I guess they got some stuff to sell.”

“Do we have the munny for them?” Isa asked, arms crossed.

“Well…we should still have some stashed in our old rooms. Somewhere,” Lea muttered with his arms crossed.

Yuffie froze. “Wait. Those were yours?”

…

Lea, Isa and Leon gave bored glares at her. “Did you just-? Why would you do that??” Lea exclaimed.

“uh…”

“I can’t believe you!” Lea huffed, hands on his hips. “You’re the absolute worst, Yuffie.”

“Hey, it wasn’t like anyone was going to use them…well, until today…”

Lea groaned. “You didn’t change a bit…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yuffie asked him, her cheeks puffed up.

“You know EXACTLY what I mean!” Lea pointed at her.

“All right, that’s enough,” Aerith said to them, separating the two. “Save that for later.” The two of them stuck their tongues at each other. …And Aerith gave a smile, with the two noticing. “But…I could have Isa help me out but have the two of you clean up a little.” Horror began to dawn on them, as she added, “Hopefully we could still have some left over for you two.”

“What?!” The two yelped out.

“No, no! It’s fine! Really!” Yuffie pleaded. “I didn’t use any of it yet! I swear.”

“I hope so,” Lea said – while Aqua just watched on, baffled. “But still…you can be as rough as Ms. Gainsborough.”

Aerith has a cheery smile. “I’ve had some practice,” she answered as Yuffie looked away. “In any case…Isa, do you mind?”

Isa noted it, having watched on silently. “Oh, sure. What are we making?”

“How about something simple? Like soup?”

Isa hummed, thinking. “…that depends on the ingredients,” he said. “What do we have?”

“Well, let’s take a look,” Aerith said before she and Isa left for the kitchen.

Lea looked to Aqua. “Isa helps out from time to time in the kitchen at the orphanage,” he explained to her. “Elmyra Gainsborough is Aerith’s step-mother, and she helps look after us. Don’t know what happened to her real mom, though. She never said anything.”

“I see…” Aqua mused, thinking. “…So, Isa can cook?”

“Yeah. Pretty good in my opinion,” Lea nodded. _‘Hopefully he hadn’t lost his touch.’_

Aqua hummed. “I guess I’ll have to see for myself,” she mused.

The night passes on, hours ticking away as the small group slowly catch up, including Aqua in most of them to have her fit in a bit better. She heard bits of the others from the orphanage here and there; a trio of kids named Biggs, Jesse and Wedge, Cid having a daughter that’s been going around helping out some people and finding others from their homeworld to rally them together. There were other members from Radiant Garden, but though they aren’t sure if they’re okay or not. The soup was good – it had been a while since Aqua had beef stew. The flavors aren’t complicated, or complex, but it’s good enough to satisfy her stomach. And there’s a sense of comfort within the food that helps Aqua ease a bit more.

She’ll have to ask Aerith and Isa later for the recipe to make later on.

After all’s said and done, they had to turn in to the rooms. Aqua was given Ienzo’s old room for the night, while Lea and Isa went off to their own rooms. Though it’s nice to be on a bed for once, and it had been a long while since she had last slept in a bed…

Aqua couldn’t sleep. It isn’t coming easy to her. She had been in the dark for so long…it feels…

She sighed. A soft knock got her attention. She sat up in her bed. “Yes?”

The door opened, with Lea having a pillow in his arm. “…Hey,” he said softly. “Can’t sleep?”

Aqua tilted her head. “Can’t you?”

He shook his head. “Nah.” He scratched his cheek. “…So. Can I…sleep in here? I- I don’t wanna be alone.”

Aqua blinked…but noted it. _‘Right. We hardly slept in the dark realm, mostly because we took turns watching our backs,’_ she thought, her face softening. _‘It feels strange to sleep alone now…’_ “I don’t mind, but…where are you going to sleep? I can’t have you sleep on the floor.”

Lea was about to answer- but Isa soon peered in. He also has a pillow in his arms. He looked away. “…Guess we all got the same problem,” he mumbled.

“…Yeah,” Lea agreed softly. He hummed…then perked. “Oh. I know!” He tosses the pillow to the floor and heads off. Isa watched him go, before sharing a look with Aqua. “Isa, help me out,” Lea softly called out.

Isa looked back…before he shrugged, putting the pillow down to go to Lea…

…And soon enough, they had a mess of pillows and blankets on the floor. “This could work,” Lea said. “We can sleep on this.”

“Really?” Isa asked, but not in his usual way.

“Yeah,” Lea nodded before he sat down and laid back. “Well, G’night.” He closed his eyes.

Isa stared down at him…before he gave a soft look. He joins Lea on the floor, turning to his side as he closed his eyes.

Aqua stared down at them…before she smiled softly. She covers them with a blanket…before she laid in the middle. _‘Good night boys,’_ she thought, as she closed her eyes.

The two of them unconsciously got close to the woman, sandwiching her between them. Within minutes, they were out like a light.

…And Isa had a particular dream. Sinking softly in the ‘water’…

And landing on the ‘sea floor’…which then unveiled a station under him.

His Station of Awakening.

_-_

It was bright and early. Aqua had gotten a head start, gathering a few things, leaving the boys to pack what they need. Lea found the book he had been reading – all about fire magic and such…and decided to take it with him. He wanted to learn more about utilizing it properly.

The boys had one last talk with Leon and the others, the two promising to visit now and then if they’re allowed and do whatever they can to help rebuild the town. Of course, Lea and Yuffie glared heatedly at each other, with Lea telling her to not go in their rooms anymore. It would have ended up as a fight if Leon hadn’t held Yuffie back while Isa dragged Lea away with their stuff, saying their goodbyes over his shoulder. Aerith called out that they could find Aqua over at the ruined walls, overlooking the town.

Once they’re out of range, the boys walked silently through the town. With light coming in, they looked around as they walked. The town they had grew up in…it was almost…sad. Even if it does get rebuilt…

It wouldn’t be the same.

Lea sighed, eyes gazing downward. Isa looked at him, placing his hand onto his shoulder. Lea looked up at him.

“We can get though this,” Isa assured him. “It won’t be the same…but, we can rebuild.”

Lea stared at him…before nodding. “Yeah,” he said softly.

They continued onwards.

They soon found Aqua, in her original attire (with it cleaned up), staring at the sun. The two wordlessly joined her, watching the sun rise. It had been…a long while since they had seen the sun. Felt the warmth of its rays. They had seen the ruins of the town…but soon directed their gaze to something outside the walls.

“…So, Maleficent practically built a castle as an invasion front…” Isa muttered. At the distance, there is a castle…or is it a spire? It has the sigil of the Heartless, and several other spires. It sat on top of several buildings that are ruined. Most likely never to be a part of the gardens ever again…

“But, with Maleficent gone, she should be too much of a worry, right?” Lea asked…before he sighed. “Well…not unless she had any real pals.”

“Who knows for certain?” Aqua asked. “I doubt she could have done damage of this magnitude over the worlds alone…but, hopefully they’re disbanded.”

“Well, we can hope,” Lea muttered.

Isa nodded. “So, is there a way to get to where Yen Sid is?”

Aqua thought about it. “His world is…particular.”

“How so?” Isa tilted his head.

“Well, from what Master Eraqus told me, his ‘world’ moves about periodically,” she explained, “So…even if we take a ship, it may not be in the place I last saw it.”

“Can’t we get there with that portal you made?” Lea asked her.

She shook her head. “The portal I made is used as an entry or exit point to a world. But…if I have to wager something…” They stared at her, waiting. After several moments, she nodded. “I would have to try close by where I reformed our world, into Castle Oblivion.”

“Gee, that doesn’t sound ominous,” Lea muttered sarcastically.

“Well, it’s meant to have any intruder walking within its walls to be lost and be lead to their ‘oblivion’…but, I can get why,” Aqua said, sheepish. “Anyway.” She held up her hand, with the three of them glowing.

“What’s this?” Isa blinked, looking at his hand.

“It’s a little something to protect ourselves from the Lanes Between,” she answered. “We’ll have to get there by vehicle.”

Lea noticed the implication, staring at her in surprise. “Wait, you want me to use my Keyblade’s vehicle mode?” Isa lowered his head in thought. “The three of us can’t fit on it!”

“…You’re right,” Isa agreed, “the three of us couldn’t.” He looked at his hand. “But…well, I know what I have to do.”

Lea blinked at him as Isa clenched his fist. He then held out his hand.

…

_Aqua looked surprised at him. “Really?”_

_“Yeah. I thought I needed a good reason to use that power,” Isa explained. “But…I couldn’t think of a good one, to justify me using it. Yet, when I heard Lea’s…I realized, my reason doesn’t have to be complex. Or grand.” He smiled. “I wanted to use this power, to protect. To protect Lea…and anyone else I became close with.”_

_Aqua stared at him. “I see. Is that your drive?”_

_“Yes,” Isa affirmed._

_She hummed. “All right then.” She summoned her Keyblade…before holding the hilt to him. “In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the making, then through this simple act of taking, it’s wielder you shall one day be.”_

_Isa stared at it. Then at her. She gave him an assuring smile. It dawned onto him. He reached out…and holds the weapon’s hilt. He held onto it for a while, as Aqua noted something._ ‘What’s this…? It was…already…?’ _Her eyes went wide in realizing it._ ‘Did the relay allow him to…?’

_…But, while it’s small, the Inheritance Ceremony can allow Isa to use the Keyblade in the future – in the distant future or not._

_It’s a matter of time after all._

_…_

_‘I want to protect Lea, and anyone else I had become close to,”_ Isa thought. _‘Please…lend me your power. So I could use it to protect others…’_

Something in his hand flashed with the two noticing. “…Huh?” Lea blinked.

Isa had a look of concentration. It’s…serene. As if he had come to his answer.

Then…something manifested within his hand. In the form of a blue light and flames. Soon enough, Isa is holding onto something.

…And nearly fell over, before using both hands to hold it up. “Wh-whoa!” He groaned as he held it up…before planting it onto the ground. He sighed…before he looked over at it.

It’s long looking, a bit longer than Lea’s Keyblade. There’s a blue ring with dark blue edges lined by seven spikes around the hilt (it being white), that opens up at the bottom. The ‘blade’ itself is think and has concave sides, each side being lined by three small notches, with the blade being pale blue in color with blue-grey edges. The ‘tooth’ looks identical to the ‘ring’ around the hilt, but the ‘spikes’ are bigger, pale blue in color, attached to a cross shaped symbol with a waxing crescent moon on it. The pommel is a grey spike, with the keychain string-like. The token resembles the ‘ring’ around it, but with a light blue diamond in the middle.

But, it’s a Keyblade, through and through.

“Hey! You pulled it off!” Lea said, happy.

Isa nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.” He looked at his newly obtained Keyblade. “Though, why is it heavy?”

“Some Keyblades usually reflect a style and strength of the user,” Aqua answered.

Isa raised an eyebrow at that. He looks at his weapon. Carefully, he lifts it up. Huh. Now that he isn’t caught off guard, he can feel that it isn’t exactly as heavy as he thought. “So…it’s like this?” He asked, looking over at it.

“That’s right,” Aqua nodded.

“…Huh. Well, I think I’ll eventually get used to its weight. In the meantime…”

Aqua noted it, before nodding. “Right. Let’s get to it then. Just imagine the vehicle you need then.”

Isa nodded. He looks at his Keyblade one more time…then, he hefts it over his head- and with all his might, hurls it into the air.

It spun, flying out of sight…before it shined…

And came flying back towards them. It looks like a sort of jet sky, with the ‘ring’ on the sides, it being mostly white, and the ‘exhaust’ having the spikes behind it, and at the lower parts in the back.

“Whoa…that looks cool,” Lea said, surprised.

“Yours is too,” Isa responded, carefully getting onto it. He adjusted himself, leaning forward to have his hands on the bars.

Seeing this, Lea calls forth his own Keyblade. He spins it- before he threw it. Like Isa’s, it flew out of sight…before it came back at his own Glider. “Right, let’s see if we can find that Master Yen Sid!”

He climbed onto it, with Aqua sitting behind him. “All right. Now use it to make a portal in the air, and fly towards it,” she instructed.

…

Lea and Isa looked at each other. “Rock paper scissors?” Lea asked him.

Isa rolled his eyes at him. “Here.” He had his Keyblade float…and the ‘tip’ glowed. It fired a beam of light, making a portal manifest. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“Right, right,” Lea said, sheepish. He looked at the portal. _‘Well…let’s see where this will take us.’_ He looked back at the world one more time, before shaking his head. _‘nah. We’ll come back later. But…when I get the chance…’_ He looked forward. _‘I’ll visit her. It’s been nine years.’_ “Okay, let’s fly!”

He had his own Glider float…before they soon jetted into the portal.

Once they’re through, the portal closed behind them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trio has a magic barrier around them that can allow them to be safe in the Lanes Between. Not sure if armor really COULD let you breath there but...well. They'll be fine. Anyways.
> 
> The adventure in the Realm of Darkness is over, but now a new journey begins for the Lost Trio. But just because they have Keyblades doesn't mean they're out of trouble just yet. It isn't just Xehanort and Maleficent who are threats after all. What do I mean by that? Can't tell. ;P
> 
> Who knows what changes are going to come as a result of this? (I do) The Keyblade Isa has is called 'Luna Defender' - it's a little based around Saix's claymore, and it could also form change into it, just as how Lea's Flame Liberator could do the same. And...yeah, the Glider for Isa isn't original. I based it off of Terra's Glider. It works, right? Anyways...
> 
> This is the technical last chapter of this story. Thank you so much to the people who took the time to read this little idea. It might not be your cup of tea, but I'm glad people enjoyed it. (Though, get ready for the 'true' end of this story soon.)
> 
> I'll be going ahead to work on the 'bridge' between Act 1 and Act 2 of Sun and Moon: Change of Fate (yes, there's more). Once I got some work done, I'll be posting the 'bridge' of sorts. Until then...
> 
> Stay safe, healthy and I'll see you all later. Later!


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Half-Pint Trio begins their new journey to find their lost friends.
> 
> Riku and Mickey start their journey to return home.
> 
> Mysterious talks and sightings abound. Paths leading to a singular goal? Perhaps, perhaps not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Augury  
> n.  
> a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen

A long, winding path is ahead of a certain trio. Everything around them is green, with shrubs, and trees about. Blue skies are overhead, and birds and insects are heard, letting them know that there’s life instead of them.

But Sora isn’t interested in any of that. He listened on as Donald and Goofy told him about the woman who was with the King and Riku behind the door.

“So…she’s a Keyblade Master?” Sora asked.

“Uh, huh,” Goofy nodded. He wore an orange shirt with a brighter orange vest over it. His pants are dark denim blue, his shoes are brown but there aren’t any socks. He also wore a green hat. A change from his other attire when traveling the worlds with Sora. “She and the king fought alongside each other to take on a lot of things. Including a big battle.”

Sora hummed. “…So, why was she with the King?”

“Who knows?” Donald responded. He wore a blue sailor shirt with a red bow at the collar. His small hate is blue with a black ribbon at the back. “Though, now that I think about it, we hadn’t seen her in ten years.”

Sora blinked. “Why is that?”

“Well, His Majesty told us that after that battle, another friend, Ventus, fell into a deep sleep,” Goofy said, thinking. “His heart went to sleep and disappeared. Then, she took his body to hide him…that was the last anyone had seen either of them.”

Something tugged at Sora’s mind. Like there was something he had forgotten. Now that he thought about it, that Aqua woman looked and sounds familiar. Why is that?

She wasn’t the only thing that felt oddly familiar though.

“…So, what about the other two? Who were with Aqua and King Mickey?” Sora asked.

“I dunno,” Donald answered.

Sora pursed his lips in worry. “…Do you think they’ll be okay?”

A worried sound came from Goofy. “I hope so.”

“Yeah…me too.” Sora had his hands behind his head as they walked.

Silence went by the three.

“Well, now what do we do?” Donald questioned. Considering their current situation, they won’t be getting home any time soon.

“We gotta find Riku and King Mickey,” Sora answered. He promised that he would come back to Kairi – but he felt that he couldn’t exactly do that, not until he brings Riku home too. “That’s why we’re here, right?”

“Sure, but, uh…” Goofy trailed off. He didn’t want to be THAT guy, but… “where do we start lookin’ for that there door to the light?”

…

The three of them stopped, slumping over with groans. They don’t even have a clue on WHERE to start. For all they know, this could be a hopeless journey…

The grass rustled, getting Sora’s attention. “Huh?” It got the other two’s attention as well…as a familiar dog came strolling out, a green envelope in his mouth, and tail wagging.

“Pluto?” Donald called out, getting the yellow dog’s attention.

“Hey, Pluto,” Goofy says, “Where have you been? You’ve been missing since Traverse Town.”

Oh yeah. This dog was there when Sora first woke up there after all.

…And then, the boy noted the envelope. It has a very familiar sigil on it. “Hey! That emblem!” He directed their attention to it.

They looked and noticed it. “Gawrsh, that’s the king’s seal!”

Does this mean…?

“Hey,” Sora leaned in, holding his hand out to the dog, sounding hopeful. “Have YOU seen King Mickey?”

Pluto’s response? He takes off running up the path.

They looked at each other excitedly. Their first clue!

“Guys, let’s go!” Sora exclaimed as they chased after Pluto. Goofy hollered, laughing. Donald exclaimed ‘oh boy!’ with Sora grinning.

…What they don’t know is what lies ahead that could connect them to the missing five once more…

_-_

In the realm of darkness, Mickey gently held onto the hand of the boy who had stayed with him. He looked exhausted. Mickey can understand why – the Heartless are pretty strong down here. Mickey couldn’t help but admire the strength Aqua, Lea and Isa had to last as long as they did.

Mickey looked at the silver haired youth. “You doing all right, Riku?”

“Yeah. I think so,” Riku answered. “But…what about those three? What do you think happened to them?”

Mickey lowered his head. “I dunno…but I hope they’re okay.”

“So…who were they?” Riku asked him. “Why were they in the realm of darkness?”

Mickey looked at him. _‘Right. He probably wouldn’t remember meeting Aqua,’_ he thought. He was a child back then, after all. But…after all of this, he does deserve to know. “…Well, the woman, Aqua…she was trapped down here for ten years, falling into a trap. She fell into the dark realm, to save the body of her friend who was possessed.”

Riku was surprised. “Really?”

Mickey nodded. “Yeah. And the other two, Lea and Isa, they fell down here a year later. They’ve been together for a while when I ran into them a while back. They were attacked by the person who…well…the person who was posing as the REAL Ansem.”

The boy blinked. “The… ‘real’ Ansem?” Riku parroted.

“The Ansem that stole your body? That wasn’t Ansem the Wise, the kind ruler of Radiant Garden,” Mickey explained. “The ‘fake’ had taken his name and banished his master to darkness. That same fake is the young man who had his body taken.”

Riku processed it. “…Huh. That guy has got a habit of stealing bodies, huh?” He muttered. “So…who was the person who stole Aqua’s friend’s body?”

Mickey looked forward. “An old Keyblade Master, Xehanort.” Riku looked at him in surprise, not just at the hard tone he used…but at the title given to the man.

“Keyblade…Master?”

“Yeah. There’s a lot you don’t know. I’ll give the full story as we get through here,” Mickey assured him. “It’s a long story.”

Riku considered it. “…Well, we’re here. May as well hear it.”

Mickey chuckled. “All right then.”

As they walked, they were unaware of someone who was watching them, a single eye lingering on Mickey. After a moment, they soon silently left.

_-_

At the Castle that Never Was, it was quiet…a dark portal opened. A lean man struts out, stretching his arms over his head, grunting.

“Well. That was boring.” His wild red hair got into his face, having him push it back. “But, at least I’m done early. I’ll go give my report to Saïx and go to my spot.”

The other members were training their thirteenth member for a few days now since he had become aware. He hopes they aren’t running the kid ragged. He noted it and smirked to himself. Heh. Where did the concern come from? He isn’t attached to him, per say, but…well, he’s particular. Newly born and with no memories of his past life…well, he can relate a bit. He barely remembers his own as well.

Well, not that it should worry him. Nine years, nearly ten, can do that to you.

With his arms behind his head, he heads off to find his blue haired companion. But as he walked…he noted something ahead.

Long blue hair, and pointed ears…is that Saïx? What’s he doing out of his room? And leaning a little over the corner?

He approached the man. He opened his mouth, “Hey wha-?” His mouth was suddenly covered. But Saïx quietly shushed him. His golden gaze flicked back to something, shifting his body to look back. He blinked…but, his green eyes shifted to some voices. Hushed, but…

He nodded at the man, who released his mouth. The two leaned against the wall, listening in.

“…you are certain?” Vexen’s voice is heard.

“Yes. There were reports of three Keyblade Wielders. They recently left Hollow Bastion a little while ago,” Zexion responded. Axel tilted his head at that.

“Where have they gone then?”

“I don’t know. The Dusks lost track of them. They used…an unusual means to leave the world. Not a dark corridor or anything.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

“Should we be concerned?” Lexaeus asked – heh and that’s some irony.

“Well…Xemnas has been informed, but he didn’t seem concerned about it,” Zexion responded. “…Well, as much as we could, anyway. But, what’s important to him is Roxas’s progress so far. He has been doing well, considering.”

“He’s still a little green,” Lexaeus said. “But he can become stronger in time.”

“Well, he should hurry it up,” Vexen huffed. “I got no time watching over him. I have work to do.” Axel rolled his eyes. He never liked the man much. He just…doesn’t for some reason.

Zexion sighed. “Very well. I shall leave you alone. Still, who could they be?”

Axel wanted to listen more- but he felt a hand grab him by the arm and he was pulled away. After a few paces, he regained his footing. “Hey, I can walk you know!”

Saïx released his arm, before opening the door to his room. “I know. But we need to talk.”

Axel raised his eyebrow at him. Saïx gave a look to him. “About what we just heard. The report can wait for now.” Axel blinked.

“Uh…right.” Axel soon walks in. Saïx looked around a bit before slipping inside, closing the door behind him. Axel leans against the wall, letting what he heard sink in. “…So. Three Keyblade users, huh? What’s that about?”

“It would mean that there were three more that had appeared,” Saïx figured, going over to his desk.

Axel raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “But…weren’t there two of them? That king and the Keyblade Master, isn’t it?”

“I know. These three are…an anomaly.” Saïx leans onto his desk. “The fact Xemnas wasn’t worried about it…concerns me. Why wouldn’t he?”

“Dunno,” Axel shrugged. “We can never figure out what goes through his head.” He scrunches his face. “Actually, him and Xigbar are the worst.” He tapped his arm lightly. “So, what do we do about it? Leave this be?”

He waited as Saïx considered it at the desk. After a while, the man sighed. “With as little information we have now, it would be for the best. I’ll have to wait until it could be unveiled to me. When that is…” He shook his head, “I’m not sure.”

Axel grunted. It’s been nine years since they had become Nobodies…nine years as they watched members come and go. Axel had to eliminate some, or…they were unfortunately turned into Dusks. That was never a pretty sight. It shouldn’t be, but it…terrified him. Why wouldn’t it? Yet, they never trusted the older members. That’s why they had been working to overthrow the Organization themselves one day, from the inside. Saïx would climb the ranks, and Axel would secretly help him.

Axel is good at his job, as the secret assassin of the group. His memories as Lea were…fuzzy at times. Like he wasn’t sure if this is something he would do as a human. But he isn’t human now, is he?

“…Well, we got time,” Axel said. “If on the chance any of us run into them, we might know.”

Saïx grunted. “Very well. We’ll keep what we heard a secret from the others. Until the situation calls for it.”

Axel merely nodded. “Understood.” He pushed himself off the wall. “Well, I’ll get started on that report. See ya.” He gave a wave before he heads for the exit.

The door automatically opened for him. But before he could walk out- “Axel.”

The red-haired man looked back at Saïx. “What?”

The blue-haired man said nothing. He looked to be contemplating something. He looked away. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Axel blinked at him. “…Well. Whatever,” he said before he leaves the room. As the door closes behind him, he stared at it. _‘What was he about to tell me?’_

Hm. Maybe it was nothing. With a shrug, Axel heads off to his room, hands in his pockets-

A boy walked past him. Slightly shorter than him, with red hair.

Axel’s eyes went wide, and he turned- but the boy is gone.

He stared out, stunned. “…the hell…?”

What…what was that? Was that his imagination?

…

He continued to his room. But, he couldn’t get that boy out of his head now.

Who was he?

Why is he…familiar?

-

“Hey, Luxu, got a minute?”

“Huh?” He startled. He hadn’t expected the Master to speak up like that. He took a moment to compose himself, before answering. “Uh…sure. What is it?”

“What do you know about ‘tears’?” The taller man asked him.

Luxu tilted his head. “Huh?”

“Right, right, I’ll tell ya,” the Master shrugged casually. He stood up from his chair. “Sure, there are tears that can happen here or there. On clothing, tearing a paper up to try to void something or other…” He had his hands behind his back as he walked past Luxu. “But, at times, there could be ‘tears’ in time as well.”

Luxu…had a hard time processing that. “A tear in…time?”

“There’s a lot of stories, Luxu. In one story, there are things called ‘fractured dimensions’ – ‘worlds’ or ‘universes’ built up around scenarios that COULD happen but didn’t. Or stories of there being alternate universes, divergences from the ‘path’ fate set them down on. Yeah, it could happen here too.”

“Huh?” That’s…surprising. “Isn’t that…bad?”

The Master shrugged. “Well, hey. It happens. It could happen naturally…or someone else decided to change history to a different course. I mean, not without a price. Nothing comes free, you know?”

“I…guess so?” Luxu muttered. He looked up at the Master. “But…why tell me this, Master? Shouldn’t the others know about this too?”

The cloaked man tilted his head at him. “What? You don’t think I trust you enough with this?” He asked playfully.

“That’s not what I’m-”

The Master chuckled good-heartedly. “I know. Just yanking your chain.” He then went serious. “But, I mean what I said. It’s possible that you might not notice the difference. That’s…kind of what it is. You wouldn’t notice it at first. No one does. Not unless you wanna risk your neck to ‘see’ what was supposed to happen. We don’t have things that can try to set fate on the right track. Once the ‘tear’ happens, it wouldn’t exactly…” He held up a hand, considering…then continued, “connect. It’s like a branch of a tree, or a plant. There’s no ‘line’ of sorts. Just a few branches. Some are a little parasitic, having a harder time growing than the others that had to be nipped, but there’s others that could thrive.”

The Master looked at Luxu. “All I’m saying is, if you ever come across something like that in the future…the best you could do is observe. See what happens. You may never know on what could happen, really.”

“R-Right…” Luxu mumbled. “But…couldn’t I just stop it though?”

The Master hummed, thinking. He stopped humming but…he didn’t say anything.

He had been silent for a while. Luxu fidgeted a little.

“Not always,” the man answered.

“Huh?” Luxu blanched.

“I mean,” the Master shrugged. “You don’t always know on what COULD make the tear. Sometimes, it happens on its own, or someone else made it. But trying to stop the ‘tear’ would only make new ones. So, yeah, that’s a conundrum, wouldn’t you say?”

Luxu blinked once. Twice. “S-So…I could just make it worse?”

“Maybe.”

“But you just said it’s a problem!”

“It could.”

“EH!?”

“Look,” the Master held up his hand to placate him, “all I’m saying is that some things happen for a reason. And tears could also happen. Sometimes, it could take a simple act to change something. Whether it would be an act to save oneself from their fate…or, change a certain course of history for the better. For them or anyone else…it’s a butterfly effect for a reason. A simple act could change things for the better, or for the worse.” He shrugged, “Yeah, it’s complicated. But you honestly can’t expect nothing to even CHANGE after doing something like that, right?”

Luxu considered it. What the Master said…made sense. In a way. Even if you go back in time to change something, for better or for worse, there would be a change as a result of that. But…could one simple act truly make waves like that?

“You’d be surprised,” the man said, breaking Luxu out of his thoughts (as if the Master had read his mind). The man held up a finger. “One act is all it could take. There are many branching timelines for any ‘reality’, including ours. They intersect but would take shape in their own paths. An act to save yourself, and another, can make splashes. It’d be interesting to see how THAT one would go, no?”

Luxu pursed his lips under his hood. “…I guess.”

“Yup. And there’s a lot of prices to pay – it depends on how big you broke the taboo.”

“…There’s a taboo?”

“Yup. Things are forbidden for a reason! In any case, let’s go on to discuss a few other things…”

Luxu wasn’t sure on how to make of this. All of this. But, his role is to be mostly an observer, having No Name in hand…well, he’ll have to see how it goes.

**-End of Act 1: Lost in Darkness-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks. The actual last chapter of this story. This story took me a while to type up and two months to post up, because I wanted to give some people time to read and enjoy these. This is the end of one 'story', but now comes the rest of the series.
> 
> And there's going to be a lot I would be doing. But, you know? Better than just trying to put it all into one huge story. Everyone has their series, so...why not?
> 
> I couldn't leave our favorite half-pint trio and light and dark duo out like that, could I? And they're each letting what happened sink in. And after all this time, Axel and Saix finally made an appearance. They got cameos (mentioned by numbers, really) but they finally had some screen time. Now, originally, the talk between Luxu and the MoM wasn't put in until a while back, then decided to put it in to make...a slight call back to how this story started. Not sure if I got the two of them right, but oh well. Also, sorry if I spoiled anyone with the mention of 'tears'. And could you say that time traveling is involved? It's confusing as hell, lemme tell you. A single act of good intentions could end up making a mess of things. That's what a butterfly effect is after all.
> 
> (And did anyone get that reference from Tales of Xillia? Am I the only one? I'm so sad...)
> 
> In any case, act one is now finished. I'll work on Act 2 some more. I don't have to worry about updating this story in a while. Act 2 would revolve around Chain of Memories. Hope you guys are ready because you might be in for a ride. I got some ideas of how it'll go, but I'll need time. My only wish is for you guys to be patient until then.
> 
> I have Act 1.5 finished, as it would revolve around the days before Castle Oblivion - there would be some growth and development. I won't post it until I got some work down for Act 2, however.
> 
> I sincerely thank you all for enjoying this story so far. I'm happy that there's a bunch of you that took the time to read this. I'll see you all next time. Take care, stay safe and healthy and stay determined. Farewell for now.


End file.
